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Popioły (Ashes) #1-3
Popioły
Historia ludzi, którzy z popiolem w sercu powracaja z pól bitewnych Europy do Polski - ich legenda podtrzyma narodowe dzieje.
Kochliwy szlachcic Rafal Olbromski popada w tarapaty. Wypedzony przez ojca z domu trafia pod opieke ksiecia Gintulta i wchodzi w kregi masonerii. Spotyka przyjaciela z lat szkolnych, Krzysztofa Cedre, i dzieki niemu zostaje wprowadzony na warszawskie salony. Wiesci przynoszone z Europy przez bylych legionistów polskich sprawiaja, ze przyjaciele podejmuja eskapade do armii napoleonskiej, wierzac, iz walka przyniesie upragniona wolnosc.
"Czytajac Popioly, jestesmy sila rzeczy jakby uczestnikami aktu pewnego misterium dostepnego tylko dla wtajemniczonych, wskutek niedomówien, uników i aluzji obliczonych na oszukanie cenzorów. (...) Popioly to misterium patriotyzmu celebrowane przez autora".
Aleksander Achmatowicz
Kochliwy szlachcic Rafal Olbromski popada w tarapaty. Wypedzony przez ojca z domu trafia pod opieke ksiecia Gintulta i wchodzi w kregi masonerii. Spotyka przyjaciela z lat szkolnych, Krzysztofa Cedre, i dzieki niemu zostaje wprowadzony na warszawskie salony. Wiesci przynoszone z Europy przez bylych legionistów polskich sprawiaja, ze przyjaciele podejmuja eskapade do armii napoleonskiej, wierzac, iz walka przyniesie upragniona wolnosc.
"Czytajac Popioly, jestesmy sila rzeczy jakby uczestnikami aktu pewnego misterium dostepnego tylko dla wtajemniczonych, wskutek niedomówien, uników i aluzji obliczonych na oszukanie cenzorów. (...) Popioly to misterium patriotyzmu celebrowane przez autora".
Aleksander Achmatowicz
880 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1902
3 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Stefan Żeromski
126 books68 followersStefan Żeromski ( [ˈstɛfan ʐɛˈrɔmski] Strawczyn near Kielce, October 14, 1864 – November 20, 1925, Warsaw) was a Polish novelist and dramatist. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under the pen names: Maurycy Zych, Józef Katerla and Stefan Iksmoreż.
In 1892–96 Żeromski worked as a librarian—during the last two years, as the librarian—at the Polish National Museum in Rapperswil, Switzerland.
In recognition of his literary achievements, he was granted the privilege of using an apartment at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. In 1924 he was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in literature.[2]
His novel were filmed by Walerian Borowczyk - Dzieje grzechu (A Story of Sin), Andrzej Wajda - Popioły (The Ashes), Filip Bajon - Przedwiośnie (The Spring to Come).
* The Spring to Come (Przedwiośnie)
* The Labors of Sisyphus (Syzyfowe prace), about 19th- and 20th-century Tsarist efforts to Russify the Russian-occupied part of Poland.
* Ashes (Popioły, 1902 – 03)
* The Faithful River (Wierna rzeka, 1912)
* Ravens and Crows Will Peck Us to Pieces (Rozdziobią nas kruki, wrony)
* Homeless People (Ludzie bezdomni, 1899)
* A Story of Sin (Dzieje grzechu)
* Elegy for a Hetman (Duma o hetmanie)
* Sułkowski
* The Rose (Róża)
* The Charm of Life (Uroda życia)
* Struggles with Satan (Walka z szatanem)
* Wind from the Sea (Wiatr od morza)
* The Little Quail Ran Away From Me (Uciekła mi przepióreczka)
His works have been translated into several languages. For example, they have been translated into Croatian by a member of the Croatian Academy, Stjepan Musulin.
In 1892–96 Żeromski worked as a librarian—during the last two years, as the librarian—at the Polish National Museum in Rapperswil, Switzerland.
In recognition of his literary achievements, he was granted the privilege of using an apartment at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. In 1924 he was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in literature.[2]
His novel were filmed by Walerian Borowczyk - Dzieje grzechu (A Story of Sin), Andrzej Wajda - Popioły (The Ashes), Filip Bajon - Przedwiośnie (The Spring to Come).
* The Spring to Come (Przedwiośnie)
* The Labors of Sisyphus (Syzyfowe prace), about 19th- and 20th-century Tsarist efforts to Russify the Russian-occupied part of Poland.
* Ashes (Popioły, 1902 – 03)
* The Faithful River (Wierna rzeka, 1912)
* Ravens and Crows Will Peck Us to Pieces (Rozdziobią nas kruki, wrony)
* Homeless People (Ludzie bezdomni, 1899)
* A Story of Sin (Dzieje grzechu)
* Elegy for a Hetman (Duma o hetmanie)
* Sułkowski
* The Rose (Róża)
* The Charm of Life (Uroda życia)
* Struggles with Satan (Walka z szatanem)
* Wind from the Sea (Wiatr od morza)
* The Little Quail Ran Away From Me (Uciekła mi przepióreczka)
His works have been translated into several languages. For example, they have been translated into Croatian by a member of the Croatian Academy, Stjepan Musulin.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 16, 2025
w końcu okazały się typową powieścią Żeromskiego – rozwleczona, niespójna fabuła o wszystkim i niczym, słabo napisany i lekko nieznośny główny bohater, czasem przynudzone. jednak w odróżnieniu od wielu innych, da się je czytać, a losy postaci pobocznych: Krzysztofa Cedry i księcia Gintułta, są szalenie interesujące gdy nie ma przy nich Rafała
6,5/10
6,5/10
July 2, 2023
oswajamyklasykę akcja Victorii Król
To była żmudna przeprawa ale cieszę się, że przesłuchałam
To była żmudna przeprawa ale cieszę się, że przesłuchałam
March 12, 2024
80% wojny, 15% miłosnych kurwa katastrof rafałka i 5% bycia delulu też rafałka
zakończenie spojler:
- chodź rafałku zapraszam na wojenke
- nie mogę dom buduję
- chodź rafałku, no proszę, fajnie będzie, najebiemy ich
- spierdalaj wypierdalaj. ok
zakończenie spojler:
- chodź rafałku zapraszam na wojenke
- nie mogę dom buduję
- chodź rafałku, no proszę, fajnie będzie, najebiemy ich
- spierdalaj wypierdalaj. ok
May 11, 2026
This is very good example of polish literature, there is good movie about it and its so very good that I give it fantastic grades.
The scene describes a meeting between the nobleman Nardzewski and the Austrian official Hible. The contrast between Nardzewski's proud description of the homage paid to the Habsburgs in Kraków (in 1796) and his violent reaction underscores the tragic fate of Poland under partition and the hatred of the occupier.
"Citizenship above all, you say, Your Grace? Look!"
That's right. Not everyone could be accepted, especially on the day of the entry itself, August 9th. What a feast it was! They were marching towards the city across the bridge from the suburb of Josephstadt...
Where from, please?
"From the suburb formerly known as Podgórze."
"Formerly called!... and now Josephstadt..."
The guilds, the cavalry corps, the citizen coachmen accompanying them without hand horses, the berajters, the trumpeters, then the Polish nobility on beautiful horses...
The berajters, the trumpeters, and the Polish nobility on beautiful horses...
Polish ladies in carriages, the court of His Grace the Lord of Homage, and finally, he himself, the cavalry corps again.
"A beautiful spectacle, by God's grace!"
"And on the day of homage! From the Spiš Palace to the Church of the Virgin Mary and to Wawel Cathedral, the infantry and cavalry formed straight lines. The townspeople with their guilds, the secular and monastic clergy, the deputies from the districts, and all the present nobility in their ceremonial attire emerged, followed by the personnel of the National Governorate, all the offices, and the Academy. Everyone took their places." There is silence, a very great silence. Then the great, ancient Zygmunt bell in Wawel began to ring.
Nardzewski listened intently. His head swayed left and right in amazement or delight, and every now and then a voice, held by force, would emerge from his throat.
Having said this, he grabbed the first pistol that came to hand and looked into the German's eyes. A smile spread across his face, and that harsh chuckle, similar to a hiccup or a sob, escaped from between his lips.
Hibl's face was calm, but it seemed to stiffen. His right eye was closed, and his lower jaw jutted out slightly. He spoke slowly, in a confident and calm voice:
This entire momentous act of oath of allegiance to the monarchs of the Habsburg dynasty was performed in the strictest order.
Nardzewski raised the pistol and fired.
Smoke filled the room. For a few moments, lime fell from the walls and ceiling.
The ceremony, which took place after the Third Partition of Poland (1795), served as a symbolic and legal confirmation of Emperor Francis II's sovereignty over the occupied lands.
Warsaw is empty
–
it's true. Empty and abandoned like an old cemetery. The courtyards of the palaces are overgrown with grass, the windows are broken or covered. And my own nest there is the same. But material interests are vanishing when they weren't as they are today. Was grain or land ever at such a price? I couldn't believe my ears when the commissioner told me the value of the keys. Grudno alone is worth twice that, and my fortune has tripled, especially in South Prussia.
ni ce- (actually: "never like this")
In classic Poland, a "key" meant a complex of several or a dozen villages and farms belonging to a single owner, which were managed as a single economic unit.
They seemed to him like frauds trying to profit from the last remnant of the people's property. They hadn't had time to wrest profit from their erroneous beliefs and foolish rumors, erroneous and foolish through their own fault, so they were doing so now, at the opportune moment, when it was no longer time to achieve higher advantages. The same people who had gone to great lengths for six hundred years to suppress and destroy the rights of the mob, appealed to the mob when it came time to pay the penalty for their sins. Are they not, he thought, like beggars stretching out their hand? They pretend to believe in the perfection of the laws of their republic... If I were to stand up now and ask them: what is their view of Fra-Paolo Sarpi's maxims, of those guiding principles given to procurators? First principle: to keep the impoverished nobility in a state of constant poverty. Second principle: to amend the articles of the constitution so that they can be used as needed. The third principle: to pander to the stupidity, passions, and even vices of the mob.
Sarpi suggested that for the good of the state (raison d'état), the ruler/government must be prepared to act ruthlessly, and in extreme situations, it is better to control "ashes" and ruins than to surrender sovereignty to a foreign power or allow public order to collapse.
Sarpi, like Machiavelli, believed that any rebellion or attempt to undermine the authority of the state should be extinguished so violently that only "ashes" remain, serving as a warning to others.
Venice imprisoned two priests accused of common crimes (including murder and adultery) and intended to try them in a civil court, which the Pope deemed a violation of ecclesiastical immunity.
The scene describes a meeting between the nobleman Nardzewski and the Austrian official Hible. The contrast between Nardzewski's proud description of the homage paid to the Habsburgs in Kraków (in 1796) and his violent reaction underscores the tragic fate of Poland under partition and the hatred of the occupier.
"Citizenship above all, you say, Your Grace? Look!"
That's right. Not everyone could be accepted, especially on the day of the entry itself, August 9th. What a feast it was! They were marching towards the city across the bridge from the suburb of Josephstadt...
Where from, please?
"From the suburb formerly known as Podgórze."
"Formerly called!... and now Josephstadt..."
The guilds, the cavalry corps, the citizen coachmen accompanying them without hand horses, the berajters, the trumpeters, then the Polish nobility on beautiful horses...
The berajters, the trumpeters, and the Polish nobility on beautiful horses...
Polish ladies in carriages, the court of His Grace the Lord of Homage, and finally, he himself, the cavalry corps again.
"A beautiful spectacle, by God's grace!"
"And on the day of homage! From the Spiš Palace to the Church of the Virgin Mary and to Wawel Cathedral, the infantry and cavalry formed straight lines. The townspeople with their guilds, the secular and monastic clergy, the deputies from the districts, and all the present nobility in their ceremonial attire emerged, followed by the personnel of the National Governorate, all the offices, and the Academy. Everyone took their places." There is silence, a very great silence. Then the great, ancient Zygmunt bell in Wawel began to ring.
Nardzewski listened intently. His head swayed left and right in amazement or delight, and every now and then a voice, held by force, would emerge from his throat.
Having said this, he grabbed the first pistol that came to hand and looked into the German's eyes. A smile spread across his face, and that harsh chuckle, similar to a hiccup or a sob, escaped from between his lips.
Hibl's face was calm, but it seemed to stiffen. His right eye was closed, and his lower jaw jutted out slightly. He spoke slowly, in a confident and calm voice:
This entire momentous act of oath of allegiance to the monarchs of the Habsburg dynasty was performed in the strictest order.
Nardzewski raised the pistol and fired.
Smoke filled the room. For a few moments, lime fell from the walls and ceiling.
The ceremony, which took place after the Third Partition of Poland (1795), served as a symbolic and legal confirmation of Emperor Francis II's sovereignty over the occupied lands.
Warsaw is empty
–
it's true. Empty and abandoned like an old cemetery. The courtyards of the palaces are overgrown with grass, the windows are broken or covered. And my own nest there is the same. But material interests are vanishing when they weren't as they are today. Was grain or land ever at such a price? I couldn't believe my ears when the commissioner told me the value of the keys. Grudno alone is worth twice that, and my fortune has tripled, especially in South Prussia.
ni ce- (actually: "never like this")
In classic Poland, a "key" meant a complex of several or a dozen villages and farms belonging to a single owner, which were managed as a single economic unit.
They seemed to him like frauds trying to profit from the last remnant of the people's property. They hadn't had time to wrest profit from their erroneous beliefs and foolish rumors, erroneous and foolish through their own fault, so they were doing so now, at the opportune moment, when it was no longer time to achieve higher advantages. The same people who had gone to great lengths for six hundred years to suppress and destroy the rights of the mob, appealed to the mob when it came time to pay the penalty for their sins. Are they not, he thought, like beggars stretching out their hand? They pretend to believe in the perfection of the laws of their republic... If I were to stand up now and ask them: what is their view of Fra-Paolo Sarpi's maxims, of those guiding principles given to procurators? First principle: to keep the impoverished nobility in a state of constant poverty. Second principle: to amend the articles of the constitution so that they can be used as needed. The third principle: to pander to the stupidity, passions, and even vices of the mob.
Sarpi suggested that for the good of the state (raison d'état), the ruler/government must be prepared to act ruthlessly, and in extreme situations, it is better to control "ashes" and ruins than to surrender sovereignty to a foreign power or allow public order to collapse.
Sarpi, like Machiavelli, believed that any rebellion or attempt to undermine the authority of the state should be extinguished so violently that only "ashes" remain, serving as a warning to others.
Venice imprisoned two priests accused of common crimes (including murder and adultery) and intended to try them in a civil court, which the Pope deemed a violation of ecclesiastical immunity.
January 4, 2026
To nie jest prosta lektura, ale czy po Żeromskim spodziewałbym się czegoś innego? Bynajmniej. Jeśli spróbuję uwzględnić okoliczności powstania utworu oraz funkcje, jakie miał pełnić, to dużo trudniej przychodzi mi postawianie zarzutu grafomaństwa. W "Popiołach", podtrzymujących kult historii, Żeromski pokazuje życie w kompletnej palecie barw, bez typowania i faworyzowania tylko tych jasnych jego stron. Jest zatem przemiana głównych bohaterów zachodzącą stopniowo wraz ze zmieniającymi się wymaganiami egzystencji, funkcjonowanie w trybie walki, co oznacza nic innego, jak dopuszczanie się rzeczy, których wyartykułowanie wcześniej przysporzyłoby nie lada problemu, a co dopiero ich wykonanie.
Ta powieść to także demonstracja tego, że nadchodzi nowe, a zderzenie ze starym porządkiem jest nieuniknione. Wszystko kiedyś się kończy.
Ta powieść to także demonstracja tego, że nadchodzi nowe, a zderzenie ze starym porządkiem jest nieuniknione. Wszystko kiedyś się kończy.
March 4, 2021
Absolutely must read by anyone interested in complex Polish history. A magnificent panorama of the Napoleon era in Poland and wherever in Europe Polish soldiers fought.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews