Ballads and Romances

Mickiewicz, Adam, 1798-1855Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.4

Word count: 76K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Balady i romanse by Adam MickiewiczAuthor: Mickiewicz, Adam, 1798-1855,Language: Polish, Class: PG: Language and Literatures: Slavic (including Russian), Languages and Literature, Release Date: Feb 11, 2009

Editor's review

Balady i romanse (Ballads and Romances) is a Polish poetry collection by Adam Mickiewicz published in 1822, generally regarded as the opening work of Polish Romanticism. This Project Gutenberg public-domain electronic edition offers the Polish original. It is not long, yet it concentrates the poet's borrowing and transformation of folk ballads, local legends, and supernatural themes. Its strong narrative drive and ballad-like plotting make the text relatively accessible. For learners of Polish, it is both a literary classic and material for observing Polish poetic rhythm; for readers of comparative literature, it can be read alongside other European Romantic ballad writing. To be clear, the book contains no Chinese translation or notes, and the supernatural and local allusions pose a barrier for beginners. The electronic text is plain text with no introduction or background notes, so it is advisable to use a reliable literary history for support.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate and advanced learners of Polish who want to engage with poetry in the original
Literature students and scholars studying Polish Romanticism or European ballads
Readers interested in poetry on folk legend and supernatural themes
Teachers who need public-domain original texts as course materials

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Polish who want Chinese translations of the poems
Beginners who want detailed notes and an introduction
Readers who prefer long narrative fiction and have little patience for poetry

Reading tips

Start with one or two shorter poems with clear plots to get a feel for the ballad form.
Read alongside chapters on the beginnings of Romanticism in a history of Polish literature.
Read aloud and pay attention to the original poems' rhythm and repetitive structures.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is there a Chinese translation of this poetry collection?

This electronic edition is the Polish original and contains no Chinese translation. To read it in Chinese, find a separate translated edition; this version suits readers with Polish who want direct access to the original, or as source material for parallel reading.

Why is it considered important?

According to standard public-domain literary history, this collection was published in 1822 and is often regarded as the beginning of Polish Romantic literature, making concentrated use of folk ballad and legend material. For specific scholarly assessments, consult a reliable history of Polish literature; this edition itself has no introduction.

Can I understand it without notes?

Readers with Polish can follow the main plots, but the poems involve local legends and supernatural imagery, and the lack of notes will create obstacles. It is best to use a literary history or annotated edition for background before reading the original.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Mickiewicz, Adam, 1798-1855 Author

Adam Mickiewicz (Mickiewicz, Adam, 1798-1855) is a poet of central importance in the history of Polish literature. Public information about him is limited, but the general background of his life and work can be established: he lived in the era of Poland's partitions, spent much of his life in exile, and his works are often bound up with the fate of the nation and with memories of his homeland. The library holds 11 of his works, including the long poem Pan Tadeusz, the narrative poem Konrad Wallenrod, the collection of poems Balady i romanse, Sonety Adama Mickiewicza, and Sonnets from the Crimea. These works mostly draw on the historical legends and natural scenery of Lithuania and Poland; their language is concise and musical, combining Romantic passion with a deep concern for reality, and they have had a profound influence on later Polish poetry.