Quo vadis

Quo Vadis #2 of 2

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

"Quo Vadis" is a Latin phrase meaning "where are you going?" A love story between a young Christian woman and a Roman officer has been beautifully captured by the author. The male protagonist converts to Chrisinaity after meeting the love of his life. Author uses the plot to examine the differences between worldly sumptuousness enjoyed by Roman elites and spiritual power of Christians.

Genres: Fiction

302 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1896

About the author

Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz (also known as "Litwos"; May 5, 1846–November 15, 1916) was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. He was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer."

Born into an impoverished gentry family in the Podlasie village of Wola Okrzejska, in Russian-ruled Poland, Sienkiewicz wrote historical novels set during the Rzeczpospolita (Polish Republic, or Commonwealth). His works were noted for their negative portrayal of the Teutonic Order in The Teutonic Knights (Krzyżacy), 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", "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, set in Nero's Rome. Quo Vadis has been filmed several times, most notably the 1951 version.

Sienkiewicz was meticulous in attempting to recreate the authenticity of historical language. In his Trilogy, for instance, he had his characters use the Polish language as he imagined it was spoken in the seventeenth century (in reality it was far more similar to 19th-century Polish than he imagined). In The Teutonic Knights, which relates to the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, he even had his characters speak a variety of medieval Polish which he recreated in part from archaic expressions then still common among the highlanders of Podhale.

In 1881, Sienkiewicz married Maria Szetkiewicz (1854-1885). They had two children, Henryk Józef (1882-1959) and Jadwiga Maria (1883–1969).

Reviews

[Maria Roxana · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Atunci când va trece tinerețea și frumusețea, când trupurile noastre se vor ofili și se va apropia moartea, dragostea va rămâne, căci sufletele nu trec.”

[Andrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quo vadis, Domine?

[Małgosia Rokicińska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Książka nie jest zła ale Winicjusz był ego top + 🚩

[Mariola · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[mmkowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

co jak co, ale naprawdę to nie było takie złe. W sumie to nawet było ciekawe i momentami mnie porywało. Jestem naprawdę bardzo z siebie dumna, że to przeczytałam.

[Stefi · Rating 3 out of 5]

💀 Petroniusz emoji
💀 Piotr emoji
💀 Apostoł Paweł emoji
💀 Chilon emoji
💀 Kroton emoji
💀 Eunice emoji
💀 Neron emoji

[Iulia Popescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este pentru prima data când citesc o carte scrisa de un autor polonez.
Autorul sa documentat foarte bine în legătură cucruciadele.

[Anca Haiduc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Observ o afinitatea a lui Sienkiewicz pentru idila dintre un barbat pierdut, un barbar si o femeie credincioasa, care reuseste sa il readuca pe drumul drept prin credinta. Desigur femeia, aici fecioara legiana este doar motorul si impulsul care il impinge pe tanarul Vinicius inspre dreapta credinta.

Qvo vadis este o poveste tulburatoare in care scriitorul demostreaza ca iubierea ce mai pura poate sa invinga tot, chiar si Antichristul, caci Nero a fost considerat "fiul" Bestiei la vremea respectiva. Romanul nu este doar o simpla poveste de dragoste dar este si o expunere a tumultoasei istorii a crestinismului si a martirilor si mucenicilor de la inceputuri.

Personajele principale, Ligia si Vinicius impresioneaza prin devotamentul care il au unul pentru altul. Dar marturisesc ca personajul meu preferat a fost Petronius, albitrul elegantei, care desi un pagan ateu, ca sa spun asa ramane de neclintit in creditna sa pentru frumos.