I’m translating an essay on free indirect discourse in Polish literature that focuses heavily on Żeromski, whom I haven’t read since graduate school, so I thought the time was ripe to revisit his work and got the audiobook of this one for a recent road trip.
The opening is incredible — it’s a really remarkable (and grim) account of a wounded man dragging himself through a battlefield, seeking shelter. The way it’s narrated is just fascinating — indeed a brilliant use of FID. He makes his way to a nearby manor, and from there the novel opens up a bit, but it has a kind of wariness that is so fascinating—it really keeps the characters at arm’s length. The second half, alas, moves into a more Romantic, sentimental register and is just much less compelling. It’s interestingly cynical, but nonetheless predictable.
Still, I’m looking forward to reading more of his work!
Kasia Reads 