"
Sienkiewicz being himself a nobleman, therefore naturally in his
historical novels he describes the glorious deeds of the Polish
nobility, who, being located on the frontier of such barbarous nations
as Turks, Kozaks, Tartars, and Wolochs (to-day Roumania), had defended
Europe for centuries from the invasions of barbarism and gave the time
to Germany, France, and England to outstrip Poland in the development
of material welfare and general civilization among the masses--the
nobility being always very refined--though in the fifteenth century
the literature of Poland and her sister Bohemia (Chechy) was richer
than any other European country, except Italy. One should at least
always remember that Nicolaus Kopernicus (Kopernik) was a Pole and
John Huss was a Chech.
Historical novels began in England, or rather in Scotland, by the
genius of Walter Scott, followed in France by Alexandre Dumas _pere_.
These two great writers had numerous followers and imitators in all
countries, and every nation can point out some more or less successful
writer in that field, but who never attained the great success of
Sienkiewicz, whose works are translated into many languages, even
into Russian, where the antipathy for the Polish superior degree of
civilization is still very eager.
The superiority of Sienkiewicz's talent is then affirmed by this fact
of translation, and I would dare say that he is superior to the father
of this kind of novels, on account of his historical coloring, so much
emphasized in Walter Scott.
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