I have always been fascinated by the history, culture and people of Poland.
It is the ninth largest country in Europe. It was a communist country, but ever since the country became a non-communist country in 1991, I have seen this country become a dynamic young democracy of the European Group of Nations.
The country and its people bade adieu to the communist way of life which was in vogue since 1920. This election in 1991 saw the communist nation transform itself into a democratic political system with a liberal mindset and other such attached democratic value systems.
However, I have no hesitation in mentioning that I have always been fascinated by the history and culture of this wonderful nation.
The nation also has contributed a lot to the world as far as arts, history, culture and science and technology are concerned.
Hence, it would be interesting to know more about this wonderful country and its beautiful people. There is no dearth of sources of information as far as the various interesting aspects of this country is concerned. While modern technology has made it possible to get the best of information, there is no doubt that books still continue to be one of the best ways to understand more about this country.
Hence, with this objective in mind, I find it a pleasure to list down 7 books about Poland. They share different aspects of this beautiful country and look at Poland from different perspectives.
1. The Manuscript
There is no denying the fact that The Manuscript till date continues to be one of the most important and popular books written by any Polish author till date. It is an awesome book that delves into the way of life in Poland of a Waloon Guard.
He goes through a lot of challenges, dangers and ups and downs as he tries to know more about the Gomelez family that was shrouded in mystery.
The main character believed that there was something happening behind the iron curtains. The book, I am pretty certain, will be highly captivating and engrossing.
This is because of a number of reasons. It takes the readers on a fascinating journey into the heart of Poland. Hence, if you are keen on getting to know more about the life and ways of life of people of this nation as it existed during that time period, The Manuscript could be a good option.
2. Solaris
I consider this another worth-reading book that could help readers to get a better idea and feel of Poland. Authored by Stanislaw Lem, the books may be considered by many to be a failed attempt at communicating with the extra-terrestrial like that was believed to be in existence on some alien planet.
Apart from helping the readers to know a few things about Poland, there are other reasons that have made this book quite popular. It has been considered as the main theme, not for one but two movies along the road.
3. The Witcher Series
I would certainly recommend this book for all those because it is much more than an interesting thriller. It is based on various situations, events, happens, practices and customs that were in practice when the book was written.
The book was written by Andrzej Sapkowski. It is a book that is now a popular serial in NetFlix. The book talks about various problems that the world as a whole faced.
But what I found fascinating was the fact that the Witcher Series has been able to portray the so called problems as it existed during that period with specific context to Poland as it existed during that part of life.
4. Native Realm
I have no hesitation in considering this as one of the top-books that has a unique Polish touch to it. It is penned by the famous Polish Poet Czeslaw Mitoz and he certainly had an eventful life.
This book is relevant to Polish history and culture because of a few obvious reasons. It traces back life as it existed 1915 when the Germany army overran Vilnius. Czeslaw the poet lived with his mother at that point in time when the German steamrolling happened.
He also was the survivor or the German annexation of Warsaw during World War II. Hence, it makes interesting reading not only for its content but also the close association that it has with Poland.
5. Solfatara
Solfatara is basically the name of a volcano that is located just outside Naples. The book not only unfolds the majestic beauty and natural gifts of this wonderful location.
It also deals about the violent backlash when the government or the Kingdom of the day (1647) imposed tax on food and other such items. The entire local populace rose against the King who was ruling the nation at that point in time. It certainly makes very good reading and I would strongly recommend it.
6. Weightless
This basically is a short novel and the whole novel revolves around a single day. The day is from the month of May and it talks about the lives of women who are around the age of thirty. It is about modern 21st century Warsaw.
Hence, I would strongly recommend this book for those who want a gripping novel. At the same time, they also will be able to know more about the life and living of modern-day 21st century Polish women.
The women are from different backgrounds and different characters and this is what makes it quite different from others as far as individual characterization is concerned.
7. The Rice Burners
Authored by Marek Hlasko, the book hit the stands in 1968. Though it is a book that revolves mainly around the Vietnam War, the relationship between an American soldier and a Polish soldier are important and interesting takeaways as far as this book is concerned.
Hence, it would not be out of place to mention here that if you want to have a rough idea about an average Polish man, going through The Rice Burners would be a great option.
Conclusion
I am of the strong belief that the list of books that I have talked about in the above article, offer much more than adventures, thrills and other such things associated with normal books. It delves into the Polish way of life and that is what makes it quite different from many other such books in Poland and also from other countries of the world.
