Anhelli;

by Juliusz Słowacki

This strange, symbolic story of Anhelli, the man-angel who suffered and died for Poland, is told in the simple and powerful language of the Old Testament. It deals with the sufferings and miseries of the oppressed Poles and with the ultimate destinies of Poland. It is an imaginative fantasy and an example of beautiful and austere poetic prose.

Genres: Poetry, Polish Literature, Classics, Fiction, Romanticism

4 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1838

About the author

Juliusz Słowacki ['juljuʂ swɔ'vatski] (4 September 1809 in Kremenets, Volhynia, Russian Empire now in Ukraine – 3 April 1849 in Paris) was a noted Polish Romantic poet, considered to be one of the "Three Bards" of Polish literature. His works often feature elements of Slavic pagan traditions, mysticism, and Orientalism.


Life and work

Influenced largely by Byron and Shakespeare, Słowacki's early work was often historical in nature, combining exotic locales (as in Arab) and tragedy (as in Maria Stuart). His work took on a more nationalist tone following the failed November Insurrection of 1830 - 1831. Like many of his countrymen, he decided to emigrate to France as a political refugee. Ironically, the first collections of poems he produced in France were unpopular in his native Poland, as they failed to capture the sentiment of the people living under Russian occupation. It was the French authorities which deemed them too nationalist; following a trip to Geneva in 1832, he was denied the right to return to France as part of a larger program to rid the country of the potentially subversive Polish exiles who had settled there. A third volume of his works, produced in Geneva, was far more nationalist in tone, and he began to win recognition in his homeland.

In 1836, Słowacki embarked on a journey throughout Italy, Greece, Egypt and Palestine, which he described in his epic poem "Podróż do Ziemi Świętej z Neapolu". In 1844, he wrote Genezis z Ducha, an exposition of his philosophical ideas (called genesic idea) according to which the material world is an expression of an ever-improving spirit capable of progression into constantly newer forms.

It was at this time that he attached himself to a group of likeminded young exiles, determined to return to Poland and win its independence. One of his friends was the pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin. The group travelled to Poznań, then under Prussian control. He participated in the Wielkopolska Uprising of 1848, addressing the National Assembly (Komitet Narodowy w Poznaniu) on 27 April. "I tell you," he declared as the rebels faced military confrontation with the Prussian Army, "that the new age has dawned, the age of holy anarchy." By 9 May, the revolt was crushed.

Arrested by the Prussian police, Słowacki was sent back to Paris. On his way there, he passed through Wrocław, where he was reunited with his mother, whom he had not seen for almost twenty years. He died in Paris the following year, and was buried in the Montmartre. In 1927, some eight years after Poland regained her independence, the Polish government requested that Słowacki's remains be moved to Wawel castle in Krakow. He was reinterred near his old rival, Adam Mickiewicz.

Long after his death, Słowacki acquired the reputation of national prophet. His poem "Papież Słowiański" (The Slavic Pope), published in 1848, was believed to foretell the ascension, in 1978, of Karol Wojtyła to the throne of St. Peter as Pope John Paul II. In 2009 Faye Dunaway starred in film "The Bait" by Polish film director and producer Dariusz Zawislak. "The Bait" is a contemporary version of the drama, "Balladyna."

Reviews

[zuzanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ate and left no crumbs

[Paweł Kwiatkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ale mnie Słowacki męczy

[Bartek M · Rating 4 out of 5]

no słowacki jak ty już coś powiesz

[THE Halina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solidny Słowacki z czasów przed praniem mózgu 👍

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 1838 Polish prose poem is Dante's Inferno in Siberia with an apocalypse chaser. I found my way to this book after seeing Death of Ellenai, a gorgeous painting by Jacek Malczewski, and being fascinated by the story behind it.

This is the life's journey of Anhelli, a Polish youth sentenced to exile, as he is apprenticed to a Siberian chieftain-mystic named Shaman. Over the years, he witnesses many great miracles and sees the profound suffering of the Poles serving in Siberian penal colonies. This is a story of how injustice can break even the strongest spirit, be that the spirit of a people, a saint, or even an angel (as embodied by the melancholy angel Eloe, who watches over graves and keeps them silent).

There are no happy endings as the world comes to an end, but I still found this to be a deeply empathetic story. It's not about vengeance and good versus evil... rather, it's a sympathetic look at how even the best people can be twisted, by no fault of their own, if their burden is too great.

My copy was translated by Dorothea Prall Radin.

[Michal · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Mamo, chcę Biblię!!!
- Synku, mamy Biblię w domu.
Biblia w domu:

[filip :)) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,80/5

[Nikodem Jaworski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taki romantyzm to ja rozumiem. Słowacki ponownie udowodnił mi, że jest genialnym wirtuozem słowa ✨

[Ola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nie zachwycił mnie tej utwór, pewnie przez jego formę (dialogi mogłyby być inaczej wyróżnione, choć może i w BNce jest okej, nie sprawdzałam). ALEEE, nie mogę zaprzeczyć, że coś we mnie poruszył. Stabilne 3⭐️. 🥰

[MaZak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uwielbiam.
Miałam sobie tylko szybko przypomnieć, a zrobiłam re-read.

[blawatekk · Rating 4 out of 5]

lepsza stylizacja biblijna niż w "księgach narodu i pielgrzymstwa polskiego" Mickiewicza 🥸

[Szugar7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poświęcenie Anhellego? Ok, ale szkoda mi Szamana. :(

[Jula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brakowało mi na obczyźnie takiej literatury patriotycznej. Czasami jednak lubię pomęczyć się z czymś na wzór lekcji języka polskiego w liceum. Dobra zabawa.

[Patrycja Klonowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dziwne ale buja

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Słowacki prozą cierpi na to samo co Mickiewicz: mesjanistyczne opary, nadęcie i patos wielkich słów. Warto jednak przeczytać dla kilku pięknych obrazów

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un grandi merci à la Bibliothèque russe et slave qui offre ce poeme gratuitement sur son site (http://bibliotheque-russe-et-slave.co...). Anhelli est une des oeuvres importantes du mouvment romantique-apocalyptique (romantyczny- apokaliptyczny) qui a dominé la littérature polonaise au milieu du dix-neuvième. Il résume de façon brève et efficace tous les débats et thèmes du mouvement. Sa lecture est très courtes. Je le recommende fortement à tous ceux qui ont des parents ou des amis polonais avec lesquels ils discutent de la littérature.

Anhelli exprime le pessimisme d'une génération d'exilées polonais qui commencent à perdre espoir dans la resurrection de leurs pays. Juliusz Słowacki qui vivaient son exile assez comfortablement à Paris décide de situer Anhelli en Sibérie ou les conditions des exiliés etaient plutôt catastrophiques. Son but est montrer que la Pologne vit un calvaire. Personellement, j'ai toujours trouvé de très mauvais goût la pratique des auteurs polonais du dix-neuvième siècle de comparer le sort de la pologne divisée entre la Russie, le Prusse et l'Autriche au martyre du Christ. Pourtant, je dois avouer que mes amis et mes parents polonais sont fortement en désaccord avec moi sur cette question.

Un fait à souligner est que Słowacki prend la décision audacieuse d'introduire la religion sibérienne dans l'intrigue. Plutôt qu'un prêtre catholique, c'est un chaman sibérien qui guide le protagoniste (Anhelli) dans ses reflexions sur son sort et les intentions de Dieu vis-à-vise de la Pologne martyrisée. Les dialogues entre ces deux personnages font penser aux conversations entre Virgile et Danté dans la Divina Commedia. Le chaman comme Virgile exprime le point de vue païen tandis qu'Anhelli comme Danté est un Catholique qui s'intérroge.

Anhelli est un excellent fenêtre sur la culture polonaise du dix-neuvième siècle. Il faut reconnaître pourtant que quelqu'un de l'Europe de l'ouest ou de l'amérique du nord aura bien du mal à rentrer dans son jeu.

[Bettie]

.

to look into/Is there a translation into English/ if so, track it down

Death of Ellenai — Jacek Malczewski. The Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in Sukiennice

Malczewski drew inspiration from the poem "Anhelli" by Juliusz Słowacki for almost forty years, from the time of his studies at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow until 1918, the year when Poland regained independence. Based on the content and mood of the poem, the artist painted a series of works portraying not only the life of a young exile called Anhelli and his companion in misery, Ellenai, but also the hell of the Siberian penal servitude in a broader sense. - Source

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn, Słowacki umie w stylizacje biblijną, nie to co Mickiewicz. Nawet się nie wynudziłam przy obserwacji dziejów Szamana i Anhellego. Mój fav lewak n zawiódł

[werken · Rating 5 out of 5]

julek ale ugotowałeś damn

[Hadrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Patrycja · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[xelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oto mi więc smutno, że ujrzałem tego anioła, i wolałbym był wczoraj umrzeć.

[Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

kocham kocham kocham

[vannel · Rating 2 out of 5]

einfach kranker depressiver polnisch-katholischer shit wow

[Aleksandra Orlikowska]

bardzo piękne, ja lubie jak romantycy prozą.

[kapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

no okej????????????

[Amelia Łabuz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chciałabym aby Jodorovsky zrobił tego ekranizację XD

[astrolepis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jak na diss to fajne dobre

[olly]

ja tez mysle ze mickiewicz gadal jak potluczony

[Wiktoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mocne