With Fire and Sword

What It's About

Set during the 17th-century Cossack uprising against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, this sweeping historical novel follows nobleman Jan Skrzetuski as war, political unrest, and personal rivalries spread across Eastern Europe. Against the backdrop of brutal battles and shifting loyalties, the story combines military adventure, romance, and national conflict on an epic scale.

Key Concepts

War and national identity, loyalty and honour, political conflict, heroism, romance, religion, and the clash between cultures and social classes.

About the Author

Henryk Sienkiewicz was a Polish novelist best known for his historical epics. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905, he became internationally famous for large-scale adventure novels that combined historical detail with vivid storytelling and patriotic themes.

About This Edition

This is an 1890 translation by Jeremiah Curtin.