When we were in Poland, we asked Chris Kulinski, the organizer of our tour, about good books on the history of Poland. He said that he believed that a person should read these four, in this order:
- Poland, by James Michener
- Poland, a History, by Adamy Zamoyski
- Poland: An Illustrated History, by Iwo Cyprian Pogonowski
- God’s Playground: A History of Poland, Volumes I – II, by Norman Davies
Well, I feel a connection to all four of these. I’ve read Michener’s Poland many years ago. I liked it–a lot. But of course it is historical fiction–that is, some history and some fiction. But still a good read.
Then a year or two ago, I read Zamoyski’s history of Poland. Boy, was that a real eye-opener. I realized from reading that book that what I was taught in grade and high school was a very myopic view of world history, one skewed towards English history. I learned a lot about Polish history from that book. For example, did you know that Poland’s election of a King and rule by the nobles preceded the English Magna Carta by several years? It was the first monarchy with a constitution in the world, and the the second constitution in the world, only a few years after that of the USA? Yes, Poland was quite the progressive nation. Anyway, Zamoyski’s book is a good read.
So now i have moved on to Pogonowski’s book, and that’s what I’m reading at the present time. It does not have all that many illustrations, and is a somewhat tedious read, but I’m plowing through it, learning more Polish history, I’m currently about to start reading about the first Polish republic in the 16th century.
I am anxious to get through Pogonowski’s book and move on to the massive, two-volume set by Davies for a few reasons. First of all, he is a noted scholar from Oxford University in England, a recongnized authority on Poland. Secondly, I heard him speak. Well, I heard him speak but I have no clue what he said. He was one of the distinguished speakers at the Westerplatte commemoration of the beginning of World War II, an event which I attended on September 1, 2010, 71 years after the war began. Though I’m not sure what he said because he spoke in Polish, I sensed the people there appreciated it. And his work is a massive tome, so I’m hoping to wade through it one of these day.
So, i keep reading, bit by bit, page by page, devouring the distinguished history of the great Nation of Poland. Let me tell you this: it is very, VERY impressive!
