An epic tale of country life among the Polish and Lithuanian gentry in
1811-1812, PAN TADEUSZ by Adam Mickiewicz is perhaps Poland's best-known
literary work and has been translated into almost every European
language. This bilingual edition, with side by side Polish and English,
features Kenneth R. Mackenzie's celebrated English translation. The plot
has the typical elements of a romantic, historical novel: a feud between
two ancient families, a love story crossed by the feud, a mysterious
figure who dominates the action, and a number of eccentric subordinate
characters humorously depicted. To Poles of all generations, the life,
the scenes, and the characters embody the ideals, sentiments and way of
life of the whole nation.