Editing Henryk Sienkiewicz (section)

== Life ==
=== Early life ===
Sienkiewicz came into the world on 5 May 1846 in [[Wola Okrzejska]], now a village in the central part of the eastern Polish region of [[Lublin Voivodeship|Lubelskie]], then part of the [[Russian Empire]].<ref name="psb203"/><ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-163"/> His family were impoverished Polish nobles, on his father's side deriving from [[Lipka Tatars|Tatars]] who had settled in the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]].<ref name="psb203"/><ref name="Lockert1919"/><ref name="hierarchicznej"/><ref name="ciechanowicz"/> His parents were Józef Sienkiewicz of the [[Oszyk coat of arms]] and Stefania Cieciszowska. His mother descended from an old and affluent [[Podlachia]]n family.<ref name="psb203"/> He had five siblings: an older brother, Kazimierz (who died during [[January Uprising]] of 1863–1864), and four sisters: Aniela, Helena, Zofia and Maria.<ref name="psb203"/> His family were entitled to use the Polish [[Oszyk coat of arms]].<ref name="Majchrowski1966"/><ref name="Studencki1967"/> Wola Okrzejska belonged to the writer's maternal grandmother, Felicjana Cieciszowska.<ref name="psb203"/> His family moved several times, and young Henryk spent his childhood on family estates in [[Grabowce Górne]], [[Wężyczyn]] and [[Burzec]].<ref name="psb203"/> In September 1858 he began his education in [[Warsaw]], where the family would finally settle in 1861, having bought a tenement house ([[Kamienica (architecture)|''kamienica'']]) in eastern Warsaw's [[Praga]] district.<ref name="psb203"/> He received relatively poor school-grades except in the humanities, notably Polish language and history.<ref name="psb203"/>
[[Image:Pomnik Sienkiewicza w Okrzei.jpg|thumb| Monument atop Sienkiewicz Mound at [[Okrzeja]]. At left is the writer's family's village, [[Wola Okrzejska]], where he was born.]]
Due to hard times, the 19-year-old Sienkiewicz took a job as tutor to the [[Weyher family]] in [[Płońsk]].<ref name="psb203"/> It was probably in this period that he wrote his first novel, ''Ofiara'' (Sacrifice); he is thought to have destroyed the manuscript of the never-published novel.<ref name="psb203"/> He also worked on his first novel to be published, ''Na marne'' (In Vain). He completed extramural secondary-school classes, and in 1866 he received his secondary-school diploma.<ref name="psb203"/> He first tried to study medicine, then law, at the [[University of Warsaw|Imperial University of Warsaw]], but he soon transferred to the university's Institute of Philology and History, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of literature and [[Old Polish Language]].<ref name="psb203"/><ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-163"/> Little is known about this period of his life, other than that he moved out of his parents' home, tutored part-time, and lived in poverty.<ref name="psb203"/> His situation improved somewhat in 1868 when he became a tutor to the princely Woroniecki family.<ref name="psb203"/>

In 1867 he wrote a rhymed piece, "{{Lang|pl|Sielanka Młodości}}" ("Idyll of Youth"), which was rejected by ''[[Tygodnik Illustrowany]]'' (The Illustrated Weekly).<ref name="psb203"/> In 1869 he debuted as a journalist; ''Przegląd Tygodniowy'' (1866–1904) (The Weekly Review) ran his review of a play on 18 April 1869, and shortly afterward ''The Illustrated Weekly'' printed an essay of his about the late-Renaissance Polish poet [[Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński]].<ref name="psb203"/> He completed his university studies in 1871, though he failed to receive a diploma because he did not pass the examination in [[Greek language]].<ref name="psb203"/> Sienkiewicz also wrote for {{Lang|pl|Gazeta Polska}} (The Polish Gazette) and ''Niwa'' (magazine), under the pen name "Litwos".<ref name="psb204"/> In 1873 he began writing a column, "{{Lang|pl|Bez tytułu}}" ("Without a title"), in ''The Polish Gazette''; in 1874 a column, "{{Lang|pl|Sprawy bieżące}}" ("Current matters") for ''Niwa''; and in 1875 the column, "{{Lang|pl|Chwila obecna}}" ("The present moment").<ref name="psb204"/> He also collaborated on a Polish translation, published in 1874, of [[Victor Hugo]]'s last novel, ''[[Ninety-Three]]''.<ref name="psb204"/> In June that year he became co-owner of ''Niwa'' (in 1878, he would sell his share in the magazine).<ref name="psb204"/><ref name="psb205"/>

Meanwhile, in 1872, he had debuted as a fiction writer with his short novel {{Lang|pl|Na marne}} (In Vain), published in the magazine ''Wieniec'' (Garland).<ref name="psb203"/> This was followed by {{Lang|pl|Humoreski z teki Woroszyłły}} (Humorous Sketches from Woroszyłła's Files, 1872), {{Lang|pl|Stary Sługa}} (The Old Servant, 1875), ''Hania'' (Sienkiewicz) (1876) and {{Lang|pl|Selim Mirza}} (1877).<ref name="psb204"/><ref name="Ihnatowicz2000"/> The last three are known as the "Little Trilogy".<ref name="Ihnatowicz2000"/> These publications made him a prominent figure in Warsaw's journalistic-literary world, and a guest at popular dinner parties hosted by the actress [[Helena Modrzejewska]].<ref name="psb204"/>

=== Travels abroad ===
[[File:J.Mien-Portret Henryka Sienkiewicza w stroju safari.jpg|thumb|left|Sienkiewicz in [[safari]] outfit, 1890s]]
In 1874 Henryk Sienkiewicz was briefly engaged to Maria Keller, and traveled abroad to [[Brussels]] and Paris.<ref name="psb204"/> Soon after he returned, his fiancée's parents cancelled the engagement.<ref name="psb204"/> In 1876 Sienkiewicz went to the [[United States]] with Helena Modrzejewska (soon to become famous in the U.S. as actress [[Helena Modjeska]]) and her husband.<ref name="psb204"/> He traveled via [[London]] to [[New York City|New York]] and then on to [[San Francisco]], staying for some time in [[California]].<ref name="psb204"/> His travels were financed by {{Lang|pl|Gazeta Polska}} (The Polish Gazette) in exchange for a series of travel essays: Sienkiewicz wrote {{Lang|pl|Listy z podróży}} (Letters from a Journey) and {{Lang|pl|Listy Litwosa z Podróży}} (Litwos' Letters from a Journey), which were published in ''The Polish Gazette'' in 1876–1878 and republished as a book in 1880.<ref name="psb204"/><ref name="RęboszPierściński1996"/> Other articles by him also appeared in {{Lang|pl|Przegląd Tygodniowy}} (The Weekly Review) and {{Lang|pl|Przewodnik Naukowy i Literacki}} (The Learned and Literary Guide), discussing the situation of [[American Polonia]].<ref name="psb205"/> He briefly lived in the town of [[Anaheim]], later in Anaheim Landing (now [[Seal Beach, California]]).<ref name="psb204"/> He hunted, visited [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] camps, traveled in the nearby mountains (the [[Santa Ana Mountains|Santa Ana]], [[Sierra Madre Mountains (California)|Sierra Madre]], [[San Jacinto Mountains|San Jacinto]], and [[San Bernardino Mountains]]), and visited the [[Mojave Desert]], [[Yosemite Valley]], and the [[silver mine]]s at [[Virginia City, Nevada]].<ref name="psb204"/> On 20 August 1877 he witnessed Modjeska's U.S. theatrical debut at San Francisco's [[California Theatre (San Francisco)|California Theatre]], which he reviewed for ''The Polish Gazette''; and on 8 September he published in the Daily Evening Post an article, translated into English for him by Modjeska, on "Poland and Russia".<ref name="psb204"/>

In America, he also continued writing fiction, in 1877 publishing {{Lang|pl|Szkice węglem}} (Charcoal Sketches) in ''The Polish Gazette''.<ref name="psb205"/> He wrote a play, {{Lang|pl|Na przebój}}, soon retitled {{Lang|pl|Na jedną kartę}} (On a Single Card), later staged at [[Lviv]] (1879) and, to better reception, at Warsaw (1881).<ref name="psb205"/> He also wrote a play for Modjeska, aimed at an American public, {{Lang|pl|Z walki tutejszych partii}} (Partisan Struggles), but it was never performed or published, and the manuscript appears to be lost.<ref name="psb205"/>

On 24 March 1878 Sienkiewicz left the U.S. for Europe.<ref name="psb205"/> He first stayed in London, then for a year in Paris, delaying his return to Poland due to rumors of possible conscription into the [[Imperial Russian Army]] on the eve of a predicted new war with Turkey.<ref name="psb205"/>

=== Return to Poland ===
[[File:Henryk sienkiewicz by kazimierz pochwalski.png|thumb|right|Sienkiewicz by [[Kazimierz Pochwalski]], 1890]]
[[File:Oblegorek - Sienkiewicz i jego dzieci 1902 (75120057) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Sienkiewicz with children, Oblęgorek, {{Circa|1902}}]]
In April 1879 Sienkiewicz returned to Polish soil.<ref name="psb205"/> In [[Lviv]] (Lwów) he gave a lecture that was not well attended: "{{Lang|pl|Z Nowego Jorku do Kalifornii}}" ("From New York to California").<ref name="psb205"/><ref name="Kulczycka-Saloni1960"/> Subsequent lectures in [[Szczawnica]] and [[Krynica-Zdrój|Krynica]]<!--sources do not specify which Krynica, other than it was near Szczawnica and Lwow; Krynica-Zdrój seems most likely--> in July–August that year, and in Warsaw and [[Poznań]] the following year, were much more successful.<ref name="psb205"/><ref name="psb206"/> In late summer 1879 he went to Venice and Rome, which he toured for the next few weeks, on 7 November 1879 returning to Warsaw.<ref name="psb205"/> There he met Maria Szetkiewicz, whom he married on 18 August 1881.<ref name="psb205"/> The marriage was reportedly a happy one.<ref name="psb206"/> The couple had two children, Henryk Józef (1882–1959) and Jadwiga Maria (1883–1969).<ref name="psb205"/> It was a short-lived marriage, however, because on 18 August 1885 Maria died of [[tuberculosis]].<ref name="psb207"/>

In 1879 the first collected edition of Sienkiewicz's works was published, in four volumes; the series would continue until 1917, ending with a total of 17 volumes.<ref name="psb205"/> He also continued writing journalistic pieces, mainly in ''The Polish Gazette'' and ''Niwa''.<ref name="psb205"/> In 1881 he published a favorable review of the first collected edition of works by [[Bolesław Prus]].<ref name="psb206"/>

In 1880 Sienkiewicz wrote a historical novella, {{Lang|pl|Niewola tatarska}} (Tartar Captivity).<ref name="psb205"/> In late 1881 he became editor-in-chief of a new Warsaw newspaper, ''Słowo'' (The Word).<ref name="psb206"/> This substantially improved his finances.<ref name="psb206"/> The year 1882 saw him heavily engaged in the running of the newspaper, in which he published a number of columns and short stories.<ref name="psb206"/> Soon, however, he lost interest in the journalistic aspect and decided to focus more on his literary work.<ref name="psb206"/> He paid less and less attention to his post of editor-in-chief, resigning it in 1887 but remaining editor of the paper's literary section until 1892.<ref name="psb207"/>

From 1883 he increasingly shifted his focus from short pieces to historical novels.<ref name="psb206"/> He began work on the historical novel, {{Lang|pl|Ogniem i Mieczem}} ([[With Fire and Sword]]). Initially titled {{Lang|pl|Wilcze gniazdo}} (The Wolf's Lair), it appeared in [[serial novel|serial installments]] in ''The Word'' from May 1883 to March 1884.<ref name="psb206"/><ref name="psb207"/> It also ran concurrently in the Kraków newspaper, {{Lang|pl|Czas}} (Time).<ref name="psb206"/>

Sienkiewicz soon began writing the second volume of his Trilogy, ''[[The Deluge (novel)|Potop]]'' (The Deluge).<ref name="psb207"/> It ran in ''The Word'' from December 1884 to September 1886.<ref name="psb207"/> Beginning in 1884, Sienkiewicz accompanied his wife Maria to foreign [[sanatorium]]s.<ref name="psb207"/> After her death, he kept on traveling Europe, leaving his children with his late wife's parents though he often returned to Poland, particularly staying for long periods in Warsaw and [[Kraków]] beginning in the 1890s.<ref name="psb207"/><ref name="psb208"/> After his return to Warsaw in 1887, the third volume of his [[The Trilogy|Trilogy]] appeared – ''[[Pan Wołodyjowski]]'' (Sir Michael) – running in ''The Word'' from May 1887 to May 1888.<ref name="psb207"/> The Trilogy established Sienkiewicz as the most popular contemporary Polish writer.<ref name="psb207"/>

Sienkiewicz received 15,000 [[ruble]]s, in recognition of his achievements, from an unknown admirer who signed himself "[[Michał Wołodyjowski]]" after the Trilogy character.<ref name="psb207"/> Sienkiewicz used the money to set up a fund, named for his wife and supervised by the [[Academy of Learning]], to aid artists endangered by tuberculosis.<ref name="psb207"/>

In 1886, he visited [[Istanbul]]; in 1888, Spain.<ref name="psb207"/> At the end of 1890 he went to Africa, resulting in {{Lang|pl|Listy z Afryki}} (Letters from Africa, published in ''The Word'' in 1891–92, then collected as a book in 1893).<ref name="psb207"/> The turn of the 1880s and 1890s was associated with intensive work on several novels. In 1891 his novel ''[[Without dogma]]'' (''Bez Dogmatu''), previously serialized in 1889–90 in ''The Word'', was published in book form.<ref name="psb208"/> In 1892 Sienkiewicz signed an agreement for another novel, Rodzina Połanieckich (Children of the Soil), which was serialized in ''The Polish Gazette'' from 1893 and came out in book form in 1894.<ref name="psb208"/>

=== Later years ===
Sienkiewicz had several romances, and in 1892 Maria Romanowska-Wołodkowicz, stepdaughter of a wealthy [[Odessa]]n, entered his life.<ref name="psb208"/> He and Romanowska became engaged there in 1893 and married in Kraków on 11 November.<ref name="psb208"/> Just two weeks later, however, his bride left him; Sienkiewicz blamed "in-law intrigues". On 13 December 1895 he obtained [[pope|papal]] consent to dissolution of the marriage.<ref name="psb208"/> In 1904 he [[Avunculate marriage|married his niece]], Maria Babska.<ref name="psb208"/>

Sienkiewicz used his growing international fame to influence world opinion in favor of the Polish cause (throughout his life and since the late 18th century, Poland remained [[Partitions of Poland|partitioned]] by her neighbors, Russia, Austria and Prussia, and later Germany).<ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-163"/><ref name="psb210"/> He often criticized the German policy of [[Germanization]] of the [[Polish minority in Germany]];<ref name="psb210"/><ref name="psb212"/><ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-164"/> in 1901 he expressed support of [[Września#Września school strike of 1901|Września schoolchildren who were protesting the banning of the Polish language]].<ref name="psb210"/> In 1907, amid German attempts to expropriate Polish land, he appealed to the global intellectual community for support.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 December 1907 |title=APPEAL BY SIENKIEWICZ.; Wants the World to Help Stop Germanization of His Country. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/12/19/archives/appeal-by-sienkiewicz-wants-the-world-to-help-stop-germanization-of.html |access-date=28 August 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> More cautiously, he called on Russia's government to introduce reforms in Russian-controlled [[Congress Poland]].<ref name="psb211"/> During the [[Revolution in the Kingdom of Poland (1905–07)|Revolution in the Kingdom of Poland]], he advocated broader Polish autonomy within the Russian Empire.<ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-163"/><ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-164"/>
[[File:Henryk Sienkiewicz 1905.jpg|thumb|left|[[Nobel laureate]], 1905]]
Sienkiewicz maintained some ties with Polish right-wing [[National Democracy (Poland)|National Democracy]] politicians and was critical of the socialists, but he was generally a moderate and declined to become a politician and a deputy to the [[State Duma of the Russian Empire|Russian Duma]].<ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-164"/><ref name="psb211"/> In the cultural sphere, he was involved in the creation of the [[Adam Mickiewicz Monument, Kraków|Kraków]] and [[Adam Mickiewicz Monument, Warsaw|Warsaw monuments to Adam Mickiewicz]].<ref name="psb210"/> He supported educational endeavors and co-founded the Polska Macierz Szkolna organization.<ref name="psb211"/> "Reasonably wealthy" by 1908 thanks to sales of his books, he often used his new wealth to support struggling writers.<ref name="psb210"/> He helped gather funds for social-welfare projects such as starvation relief, and for construction of a tuberculosis sanatorium at [[Zakopane]].<ref name="psb210"/> He was as prominent in philanthropy as in literature.<ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-163"/>

In February 1895 he wrote the first chapters of [[Quo Vadis (novel)|''Quo Vadis'']]. The novel was serialized beginning in March 1895 in Warsaw's ''Polish Gazette'', Kraków's ''Czas'' (Time), and [[Poznań]]'s ''Dziennik Poznański'' (Poznań Daily).<ref name="psb209"/> The novel was finished by March 1896.<ref name="psb209"/> The book edition appeared later the same year and soon gained international renown.<ref name="psb209"/> In February 1897 he began serializing a new novel, [[The Teutonic Knights (novel)|''Krzyżacy'']] (The [[Teutonic Knights]], or The Knights of the Cross); serialization finished in 1900, and the book edition appeared that year.<ref name="psb209"/>

In 1900, with a three-year delay due to the approaching centenary of [[Mickiewicz]]'s birth, Sienkiewicz celebrated his own quarter-century, begun in 1872, as a writer.<ref name="psb210"/> Special events were held in a number of Polish cities, including Kraków, Lwów, and Poznań.<ref name="psb210"/> A jubilee committee presented him with a gift from the Polish people: an estate at [[Oblęgorek]], near [[Kielce]],<ref name="psb210"/> where he later opened a school for children.<ref name="Wychowanie przedszkolne w Polsce w latach 1918-1939"/>

In 1905 he won the Nobel Prize for his lifetime achievements as an epic writer.<ref name="psb210"/><ref name=PHA/><ref name=wilczak/> In his acceptance speech, he said this honor was of particular value to a son of Poland: "She was pronounced dead – yet here is proof that she lives on.... She was pronounced defeated – and here is proof that she is victorious."<ref name="The Nobel Peace Prize 1983. Lech Wałęsa. Acceptance Speech"/>
[[File:PL-SK Oblęgorek, Pałacyk Henryka Sienkiewicza 2018-08-22--16-29-17-001.jpg|thumb|Sienkiewicz's residence at [[Oblęgorek]]]]
His social and political activities resulted in a diminished literary output.<ref name="psb212"/> He wrote a new historical novel, ''Na polu chwały'' ([[On the Field of Glory]]), that was meant as the beginning of a new trilogy; it was, however, criticized as being a lesser version of his original ''[[The Trilogy|Trilogy]]'' and was discontinued.<ref name="psb212"/> Similarly, his contemporary novel {{Lang|pl|Wiry}} (Whirlpools), 1910, which criticized some of Sienkiewicz's political opponents, received a mostly polemical and politicized response.<ref name="psb213"/> His 1910 novel for young people, [[In Desert and Wilderness|''W pustyni i w puszczy'' (In Desert and Wilderness)]], serialized in {{Lang|pl|Kurier Warszawski}} (The Warsaw Courier), finishing in 1911, was much better received and became widely popular among children and young adults.<ref name="psb213"/>

After the outbreak of [[World War I]], Sienkiewicz was visited at Oblęgorek by a [[Polish Legions in World War I|Polish Legions]] cavalry unit under [[Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski]].<ref name="psb213"/> Soon after, he left for Switzerland.<ref name="psb213"/> Together with [[Ignacy Jan Paderewski|Ignacy Paderewski]] and Erazm Piltz, he established an organization for Polish war relief.<ref name="psb213"/> He also supported the work of the [[Red Cross]].<ref name="ErsoyGorny2010-164"/> Otherwise he eschewed politics though shortly before his death he endorsed the [[Act of 5th November]] 1916, a declaration by Emperors Wilhelm II of Germany and Franz Joseph of Austria and king of Hungary, pledging the creation of a Kingdom of Poland envisioned as a puppet state allied with, and controlled by, the Central Powers.<ref name="psb213"/>

=== Death ===
[[Image:Sienkiewicz grave.JPG|thumb|Sienkiewicz's tomb, [[St. John's Cathedral, Warsaw]]]]
Sienkiewicz died on 15 November 1916 at the Grand Hotel du Lac in [[Vevey]], Switzerland where he was buried on 22 November.<ref name="psb213"/> The cause of death was [[ischemic heart disease]].<ref name="psb213"/> His funeral was attended by representatives of both the [[Central Powers]] and the [[Entente Powers|Entente]], and an address by [[Pope Benedict XV]] was read.<ref name="psb213"/><ref name="psb214"/>

In 1924, after Poland had regained her independence, Sienkiewicz's remains were repatriated to [[Warsaw]], Poland, and placed in the crypt of [[St. John's Archcathedral, Warsaw|St. John's Cathedral]].<ref name="psb214"/> During the coffin's transit, solemn memorial ceremonies were held in a number of cities.<ref name="psb214"/> Thousands accompanied the coffin to its Warsaw resting place, and Poland's President [[Stanisław Wojciechowski]] delivered a eulogy.<ref name="psb214"/>