HENRIK SENKEVICH

Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Senkevich was born May 5, 1846 in his will of Oksheyska in Podlasie, near Lukov. Senkevich family belonged to an ancient but impoverished Lithuanian gentry patriarchal clan related by blood to the Polish magnates. Among the members of an ancient noble family lived Senkevich military tradition.

In 1863 the family moved permanently to Warsaw, where Henrik was in one of the gymnasiums. In 1866, finished grammar school, the young man continued teaching at the Warsaw School principal (since 1869 - the Imperial University). First, at the insistence of the mother, he chose the "lucrative" medical faculty, but a year later, after his propensity for literature, moved to the philological department.

Student years for Henrik were the worst. Having financial difficulties, he repetitorstvoval worked guvernerom. In the same years he started a literary-critical activity.

At that time, Home School hotbed of ideas was the so-called young or Warsaw positivist. Share the ideology of the Polish liberal bourgeoisie, it aims to change the existing order in Poland and put it on a path of moderate bourgeois progress. The ideas of young impact on the early works of Senkevich.

University classes Henrik left in 1871, not passing the final exam in Greek. In life, he earned while working in the newspaper.

His first novel in the series "humoresque portfolio Vorshilly" (1872) on the contents of his should not go beyond the positivist sermon. But the farther, the more young writer showed attraction to images of colorful and unusual. So a "little trilogy, is largely autobiographical:" The Old Servant "(1875)," Ganya "(1876) and Selim Mirza (1877). These memories of their youth imbued with lyrical mood, sadness, regret for the errors.

In 1876, Senkevich went to America. He pledged to tell about their experiences in a series of newspaper correspondence, in particular - on the World Exhibition in Philadelphia. Writer roam, hunt and learn from simple Americans. The American experience formed the basis of several short stories and a series of essays, constituting the cycle of "Letters from the Road" (1876-1878).

Back in 1879, in Warsaw, Senkevich published works on the lives of ordinary Poles: "From the diary of Poznan Teacher" (1879), "Janko-musician" (1879), "Bartek-winner (1882). Of course, the best product of this series is the short story "Sketches of coal" (1876), which Senkevich written in the United States "in the days of severe homesickness. " The "sketches coal" - this small masterpiece - the author introduces the reader to the dead of the village on Wednesday and dark score Polish peasantry. The combination of satire, the grotesque and the tragedy has given the product of great artistic effect.

The level of skill achieved by Senkevich in novels, many critics praised. One of them - Ignacy Matuszewski wrote: "One word, but put in proper place, one at first sight everyday, but extraordinarily felicitous and beautiful comparison, a single adjective, as if unwillingly attached to a noun - and before our eyes at once raises the convex and lively character, the image is drawn, the situation, a scene. "

Stories created by Senkevich until 1882, are among his best achievements in this genre. He and subsequent years will be to write short stories, essays, parables and humoresque, but his favorite literary form is already a novel.

Photo — «Henrik Senkevich»

In 1881, Senkevich Shetkevich married Mary, daughter of shlyahticha, the owner of a rich Lithuanian name. In 1882 their son was born Henri-Joseph, and the next year - the daughter Jadwiga.

In 1882, Henri became the editor of conservative magazine "Word" and has held this position until mid-1887. In the history of literature, this magazine went through the works of Senkevich. Thus, with 2 May, 1883 to March 1, 1884 is the first published novel "fire and sword. " Fame, he has acquired enormous, caused controversy, praise and attacks. In aristocratic salons of fashionable then put "living pictures" using scenes from the novel.

After the "fire and sword" appear "Flood" (1886) and Pan Volodyevsky "(1887), in which Senkevich seeks to recreate in an art form events in Poland XVII Century. Thus was born a historical trilogy, in which the action took place in 1647 to 1673.

Senkevich explained why the left in contemporary history: "Is it not better to, not whether the healthier - rather than to draw the current state drain current of people, their poverty, disagreed with by themselves, lost потуги and impotence - to show the public that times were even worse, a terrible and desperate, but despite this, it is rebirth and salvation. First rasholodit and may finally lead to despair, the second - adds power, hope, wakes up the desire to live. "

Despite the success of products, the financial position of the writer is not immediately changed for the better, although the publishers profit from it a lot of money.

In private life Senkevich in 1885 suffered a misfortune - wife died. Eight years later, the writer re-married - now the young Mary Volodkovich. The marriage was unstable, and after two years, with little of their alliance fell apart.

Senkevich traveled, treated at health resorts abroad, visited the European capitals, and in Egypt, and on the island of Zanzibar.

Since the late eighties of the writer once again turned to contemporary themes and created a novel "Without dogma" (1889-1890) and "Family Polanetskih (1893-1894). General welfare less successful writer of novels, rather than historical. Above the other estimated criticized novel "Without dogma. "

"Detailed and complete psychological analysis, workshops reproduction movements soul as a whole wealth of shades novel has enriched the Polish literature - says Boris Staheev. - The author himself said he wanted to recreate "a complex piece of the soul and the patient, but true," to portray human nature "deeper than it normally takes, especially in the Polish novels. "

From March 1895 till February 1896 Senkevich worked on a new historical novel, "Kamo gryadeshi. About how there was a novel idea, the writer later described as follows:

"This was a consequence of different reasons. I had a longstanding habit before bedtime reread the ancient Roman historians. I did this not only out of love for history, which is always very interested, but also because of the Latin, which I did not want to forget. This habit allowed me to easily read the Latin poets and prose writers, and at the same time budila increasingly ardent love for the ancient world. "

The writer, faithful to his conservative views, decided to "truly Christian epic" and believed it would work more important than all of them are still written.

And, indeed, "Kamo gryadeshi" Senkevich brought worldwide fame.

Photo — «Henrik Senkevich»

The work was translated into dozens of languages. Even if the author had lifted two films in this book: in France and Italy, and drama filled scenes. An opera on the subject of "Kamo gryadeshi.

Following a "Kamo gryadeshi" novels followed: "Crusaders" (1900), "On the field of glory" (1906), "pool" (1910) and "Legion" (1916).

In the novel "On the field of glory" Senkevich has depicted the war the Poles against the Turks in the XVII century, with the top of the famous campaign of the famous Polish king and commander of Jan Sobieski. This novel was very weak in the art and did not bring success Senkevich.

Roman "pool" touched on the theme of the Revolution of 1905 in Poland. Here, the writer expressed his opposition Socialists and against the revolution.

Senkevich Latest Novel - "Legion" - was left unfinished. It is dedicated to the Polish Legion of Henryk Dombrovsky, who fought in the armies of Napoleon.

As can be seen in the works Senkevich historical theme has been dominant. Many leading Russian and Polish critics recognized the novel "The Crusaders′ best of the writer as in ideological terms, as well as artistic skills. Roman "Crusaders" was conceived as early as 1892, but was written later - in the second half of the nineties. It was published in February 1897 till July 1900. As noted by B. Staheev: "At the thought of construction, a strong relationship storylines, mixing the two plans of narration: the image of private life and the people′s fate - the novel can be considered the most sophisticated of the major works Senkevich. Finally, the remarkable "Crusaders" and organized a novel of historical and philosophical thought. "

Roman covers nearly twelve years of the life of medieval Poland, beginning with the death of the Polish Queen Yadviga in 1399 and ending Grunwald Battle 15 Jul. , 1410.

"All work is penetrated hot sense of patriotism, which is manifest not only in revealing the main characters actions, but also in the style of narration writer, when he deploys to the reader a vivid picture of all the then Polish edges: it draws and forest roads, castles and manor houses, town and villages; portrays the life of commoners and gentry; creates brilliant scenes of knights′ tournaments, duels, battles, and plays the manners, customs, notions and beliefs of Poles in the past.

Roman is the dynamics, tension, action, boreniya passions boiling lives . . . "

According to the well-known Polish poet Maria Konopnitskoy, sovremennitsy Senkevich: "All the stories the novel seems a huge moving panorama. Actors we see are almost always on the road, on horseback. As if something is pushing them from place to place. Who is cheerful, feels surplus power, he sits on the horse and the song goes on a journey, who offended or sad fate of one who has the hard heart, he also sits on the horse and rides, too, where eyes face. "

In 1904, Senkevich marries a third time - at his niece Mary Babskoy.

In 1905, Senkevich was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Since the beginning of the First World War, when Oblegorek (where Senkevich mostly lived) took the Austrians, he moved to Vienna and then to Switzerland. Senkevich participated actively in the work of aid to war victims in Poland. In the future, his health has sharply deteriorated, and 15 Nov. , 1916 Senkevich died.