Polish Fables: Bilingual

Rating:
Summary: A collection of fables written by Ignacy Krasicki
Review: "Polish Fables" is a collection of fables by Ignacy Krasicki (1735-1801). As this book is a bilingual edition, it has first the Polish version, then the English version translated by Gerard T. Kapolka. The fables read like short poems, almost always rhyming (even the English version). Some of the fables have accompanying illustrations. This hardcover book is just over 100 pages.

These fables are not necessarily the best stories for children as many are sad and end with the death of the character (i.e., the wolf kills the sheep). As the introduction stated, this may be a political message in response to Poland being partitioned at the time by its stronger neighbors, Russia, Austria and Prussia.

Rating:
Summary: Some Polish History Through Fables
Review: Over 60 fables are presented in this book. Every
parable is first written in the original Polish form
and then the English translation is given. I liked
the fact that I could go back and forth between the
two translations and learn a few words in Polish.
I also enjoyed the many illustrations that were done
by Barbara Swidzinska, but I wish that all of the
fables had been illustrated.

The subject matter is much more complicated than the
titles imply. Here's a sampling of the fables: In the
tale of THE HUMBLE LION, when a king asks his subjects
to speak the truth, it could be a deadly mistake. Or in
FRIENDS, the story of a hare who was a kind and good
friend to all. When the hare needs help, he's given a
lesson in his choice of friends. Finally, with the fable
of THE HERON, THE FISH, AND THE CRAB we all learn
that a traitor eventually gets caught.

As a group, these fables were published after the death
of Ignacy Krasicki in the year 1803. Although, we're
told that many of these pieces were individually
published at an earlier date. Krasicki (1735-1801) was
referred to as "the Prince of Poets" by his contemporaries.
Most of these pieces have political connotations and were
written after the first partition of Poland when the
surrounding countries of Russia, Austria and Prussia
conquered and divided Poland among themselves.

I'ts a pleasure to have this literary work translated for
us by Gerard T. Kapolka. My thanks to him.

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining book and a thinking book
Review: This is a great book. Even if you can't read the original language, it has a very good English translation. They are fables with a message that are entertaining to read and think about for today's time. But there is another meaning behind these fables (commentary and criticism of the author's period of history). These fables address the political and social issues facing the people in partitioned Poland.