„Pan Tadeusz”, czyli Księga niezamierzona
„Pan Tadeusz” or the Unintended Book

Summary/Abstract: Adam Mickiewicz’s Pan Tadeusz (in English: Sir Thaddeus, or the Last Lithuanian Foray), the national epic poem, was first published in June 1834. It was perceived as a very important book, the last great epic poem in European literature. Pan Tadeusz is undoubtedly a great literary masterpiece. In my opinion, the poem is not a book just like any other book.What could it mean? We might suppose it is a special kind of book −in fact, the Book. Traditionally, this term is associated with sacred books such as Bible, Koran or Talmud. Contemporary secular version (mentioned by Oswald Spengler, Stéphane Mallarmé, Jorge Luis Borges) shows the Book as the world, the whole or the infinity. Therefore, it is worth asking why Mickiewicz lapsed into silence. Is it possible that he wrote the Book and did not want to write books any more?

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