• Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania
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Archipelago Books

Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania

Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania

by Adam Mickiewicz, translated from the Polish by Bill Johnston

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In a panoramic view of early 19th century Polish society, Pan Tadeusz interlaces various narrative threads, from the homecoming of the eponymous Pan Tadeusz from his studies in the city, to a feud between local families over ownership of a ruined castle, to clandestine preparations for Polish participation in Napoleon's anticipated invasion of Russia, to the mystery of Father Robak ("Worm"), a monk whose involvement in all the stories seems to tie them together.

The national epic of Poland and of the larger Lithuanian region, Pan Tadeusz has become ingrained in the Polish literary consciousness. Bill Johnston's translation of this seminal text allows English-language readers to experience the richness, humor, and narrative energy of the original.

Additional Book Information

Series: Archipelago Books
ISBN: 9781939810007
Pages: 496
Publication Date:

Praise

With its riveting narrative propulsion, intertwining plotlines, effortless ironic wit, and lovingly detailed portraits of a bygone gentry, Pan Tadeusz invites comparison with the best works of Byron or Pushkin.
—National Translation Award statement on awarding Bill Johnston the 2019 National Translation Award in Poetry

I was amused and astonished by Johnston’s ability to channel the playfulness of Mickiewicz’s language throughout the text. ... It's Mickiewicz's brilliant play with language that makes this poem an engrossing experience. And this is where Johnston's " performance " succeeds most definitively: in capturing the author's wild fluctuations of register and brilliant associative riffs.
—Eric Fishman, ArtsFuse

Reading Johnston’s meticulous, brilliant version feels ... like stumbling across a lost city, forgotten for ages and now brought back to life.
—Josh Billings, Los Angeles Review of Books

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