In "Let Us Follow Him" the situation and characters are known, and
are already to be found in literature. But never were they painted so
simply, so modestly, without romantic complaints and exclamations. In
the first chapters of that story there appears an epic writer with
whom we have for a long time been familiar. We are accustomed to
that uncommon simplicity. But in order to appreciate the narrative
regarding Antea, one must listen attentively to this slow prose and
then one will notice the rhythmic sentences following one after the
other. Then one feels that the author is building a great foundation
for the action. Sometimes there occurs a brief, sharp sentence ending
in a strong, short word, and the result is that Sienkiewicz has given
us a masterpiece which justifies the enthusiasm of a critic, who
called him a Prince of Polish Prose.
In the second period of his literary activity, Sienkiewicz has
produced his remarkable historical trilogy, "The Deluge," "With Fire
and Sword," and "Pan Michael," in which his talent shines forth
powerfully, and which possess absolutely distinctive characters from
his short stories. The admirers of romanticism cannot find any better
books in historical fiction. Some critic has said righteously about
Sienkiewicz, speaking of his "Deluge," that he is "the first of Polish
novelists, past or present, and second to none now living in England,
France, or Germany.
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