Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Whither Quo Vadis? offers an engaging account of how the Roman world and its history are represented in film and the way in which the different adaptations reflect the shifting historical situations and ideological concerns of their own times.

• Explores five surviving film adaptations – Guazzoni's of 1912; D’Annunzio/Jacoby of 1925; Mervyn LeRoy's of 1951; the Italian TV mini-series of 1985 by Franco Rossi; and Kawalerowicz’s 2001 Polish version
  
• Examines how these different versions interpret, select from, and modify the novel and the ancient sources on which it is based
  
• Offers an exceptionally clear view of how films have presented ancient Rome and how modern conditions determine its reception
  
• Looks at rare and archival material which has not previously received close scholarly attention

Product Description
Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz; also known as "Litwos" (1846-1916), was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer". His works were noted for their negative portrayal of the Teutonic Order in The Teutonic Knights, also translated as The Knights of the Cross, which was remarkable as a significant portion of his readership lived under German rule. Many of his novels were first serialized in newspapers, and even today are still in print. In Poland, he is best known for his historical novels With Fire and Sword (1892), The Deluge, and Fire in the Steppe (The Trilogy) set during the 17th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, while internationally he is best known for Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero (1896) has been filmed several times, most notably the 1951 version. He also wrote a novel entitled On the Field of Glory (1906) which was supposed to be the beginning of a trilogy. Amongst his other works are Without Dogma (1893), The Knights of the Cross; or, Krzyzacy (1900) and So Runs the World. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very different book from Sienkiewicz, but I loved it!
First of all, this book is nothing like the Trilogy or "Quo Vadis".It's not an action-packed, Romanticist epic, the tone is more restrained, and the pacing is much slower."Without Dogma" is really a psychological novel in which the storytelling is done through the thoughtful diary entries of the main character (Leon).

I won't delve into the story too much since I don't want to give anything away.Basically, this is a love story told from the viewpoint of a man who lacks "dogma".I think Sienkiewicz uses this word broadly to include religious dogma as well as other beliefs and sacred cows.

Unlike Sienkiewicz's more famous novels, narration really rules versus dialogue.Also, several key scenes are only referred to in the diary entries rather than played out for the reader.This approach might become tiresome for some, but I really got hooked.

Sienkiewicz handles the diary format masterfully and I was pulled into the story.At many points, I simply could not put it down.Often I felt happy for Leon when he made a step forward, other times he frustrated me so badly I wanted to reach into the book and strangle him.He came alive for me, warts and all, is what I guess I'm saying.

The translation is very crisp and reads smoothly.No problem there at all.I enjoyed this just as much as his more famous works, just in a different more cerebral way.There's no battles or kidnappings, but it's a gripping peek inside a man's mind as he faces some rather difficult emotional conflicts. ... Read more

Product Description
The Xander Cricket Library presents the timeless classic by Henryk Sienkiewicz.Quo Vadis is a tale of love between a young Christian woman, Lygia, and a Roman patrician, Marcus Vinicius. It takes place in the city of Rome under the rule of Nero around AD 64.Sienkiewicz studied the Roman Empire extensively prior to writing the novel, and several historic figures appear in the book.Originally published in 1896, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of all time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

QUO VADIS by Henryk Sienkiewicz
Quo Vadis is an 1896 historical novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz. I am specifically reviewing Jeremiah Curtin's translation. In first-century Rome, during the time of Nero, young tribune Marcus Vinicius falls in love with Lygia, daughter of a conquered barbarian king and hostage of the Roman government. As he pursues her, Vinicius begins inadvertently to learn about her Christian faith. Quo Vadis features a number of historical figures, including Emperor Nero, Petronius, Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Sienkiewicz does a fine job of immersing the reader in the Roman culture of the day, and of developing Vinicius and Petronius, his two main characters. They are well-rounded, and their significant differences in personality contribute to a multidimensional view of the story. Petronius, the clever hedonist, is likeable from page one, but Vinicius is rather unlikeable, and Sienkiewicz does a fine job of changing and evolving the character as the story progresses.

Beyond that, Sienkiewicz's writing has a number of problems. Supporting characters are not nearly as well done - many are one-dimensional. Characters like Ursus and Lygia are astoundingly naïve - at times they seem like small children, and have to be dealt with by other characters as such. Lygia certainly has little going for her other than that she's extremely attractive. Also, Sienkiewicz's foreshadowing is profuse and heavy-handed throughout the novel. The parallels he draws between Nero's corrupt empire and the future Rome-based Catholic Church are similarly overt (but the comparisons between the decadent Roman life and the liberating Christian life are well done).

Pacing is Quo Vadis's biggest flaw. At times, particularly at the beginning, the novel absolutely crawls, and the reader has to put in a great deal of work just to get into the story. Throughout the book, Vinicius does a painful amount of moping and pining after Lygia, often for pages on end. The last hundred or so pages, though, make everything worthwhile - Sienkiewicz generates and maintains a great deal of suspense, and they absolutely fly by.

Perhaps what is most impressive here is Sienkiewicz's treatment of Christians and Christian martyrs. Here we have genuine, committed, upstanding Christians of integrity, who would rather love their enemies than retaliate against unjust persecution. At the same time, they aren't perfect people - some are naïve, some are petty, and so on. Sienkiewicz's handling of their noble, willing deaths is similarly noteworthy.

I have not read any other translations of this novel, nor have I read it in the original Polish, so about Curtin's translation I can only say this: the archaic pronouns thee and thou have (and had) long since passed out of common usage, and whether Curtin used them to make the book feel more period or more epic, I don't know - but their use is annoying.

On the whole, Quo Vadis is an impressive piece of epic historical fiction whose scope and story and treatment of Christianity overcome the author's flaws. It's one of those books that everyone should read once.
... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very satisfied.
The book arrived promptly in the condition promised.I would definitely deal with this seller again.

I Could Not Put Down Any of The Books In This Series
I could not put down any of the books in this series. The heroes, the villains and the women were great. Like the other two books in the trilogy, this is a sweeping epic a must read for anyone who likes swashbuckling, war andhistory.It's all in there. I definitely recommend reading all three books in the series.

... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the text that can both be accessed online and used to create new print copies. This book and thousands of others can be found in the digital collections of the University of Michigan Library. The University Library also understands and values the utility of print, and makes reprints available through its Scholarly Publishing Office. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Polish War and Peace
An absolutely brilliant book written about the Swedish/Polish war in the 16th century.Fast paced action with super-hero characters.Would make a great movie.Characterization excellent, characters multi-dimensional and flawed, but in end redeemed.First 100 pages or so difficult for me because of the long Polish names and unknown geography, but after this I fell under the novel's spell and hated to see it end. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more