The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom

by Ignacy Krasicki, Thomas H. Hoisington (Translator), Helena Goscilo (Introduction)

Overview

Winner, 1997 National Book Award for Poetry
Winner, 1993 PEN Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize

Published in 1776 and considered the first Polish novel ever written, The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom is a picaresque tale following the naïve title character's coming of age. Having conquered (and fled) sophisticated Warsaw, Nicholas enjoys many adventures across Europe, South America, and the high seas. He finally lands among the natives of an unknown isle who reject his allegedly superior European ways and instead tutor him for an "enlightened" existence. Resonant with Enlightenment ideas, The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom provides a sly portrait of the era's Polish society and a fascinating perspective on the broader problems of eighteenth-century European culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810110144
Publisher:	Northwestern University Press
Publication date:	08/06/1992
Series:	European Classics
Edition description:	Translated
Pages:	148
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

IGNACY KRASICKI (1735-1801), from 1766 Prince-Bishop of Warmia (in German, Ermland) and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno (thus, Primate of Poland), was Poland's leading Enlightenment poet ("the Prince of Poets"), a critic of the clergy, Poland's La Fontaine, author of the first Polish novel, playwright, journalist, encyclopedist, and translator from French and Greek. His most notable literary works were his Fables and Parables (1779), Satires (1779), and poetic letters and religious lyrics, in which the artistry of his poetic language reached its summit.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction by Helena Goscilo

The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom

Notes

Editorial Reviews

"The book is a real find, not only in its dynamic synthesis of all the best literary models of the time—Fielding's Tom Jones, Rousseau's Emile, Voltaire's Candide, and Defoe's Robinson Crusoe—but also in the fleet Swiftian prose." —Chicago Tribune

From the Publisher

The first Polish novel ever written, this 18th-century satire views the nation's society and politics through the eyes of a young nobleman. The naive Nicholas experiences a full range of corruption and bribery, wastes his inheritance, and escapes his creditors only by sailing to the New World. Shipwrecked there and taken in by a primitive tribe whose values contrast sharply with those of the ``civilized'' world, Nicholas eventually returns to Europe and proselytizes for his benefactors' superior ethics: His efforts lead to his commitment to an insane asylum. Reminiscent of Swift and Voltaire, this introduction to 18th-century Polish manners and morals will appeal not only to students of Polish literature but also to those interested in utopian fiction, satire, or the culture and literature of the Age of Enlightenment. Highly recommended.-- Ruth M. Ross, Olympic Coll. Lib., Bremerton, Wash.

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