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The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom (Polish: Mikołaja Doświadczyńskiego przypadki), written in Polish in 1776 by Ignacy Krasicki, is the first novel written in the Polish language, and one of the milestones of Polish literature.[1]
[edit] Plot introduction
The novel is a tale of a certain Nicholas Wisdom (Mikołaj Doświadczyński), a Polish noble. Throughout his life in Warsaw, Paris and fictional Nipu island (actually Japan by original name Nippon) he gathers numerous experiences that lead him to rationalism. His life teaches him how to become a good man thus becoming a good citizen. Such a view, often underlined by Krasicki in his works, was an apology of the Age of Enlightenment and the idea of physiocratism. The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom provides an interesting portrait both of the 18th century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth society and the broader problems of the broader European culture.It is also propably the first european book dedicated in trying describing life of Japanese Society (the so caled "Nipuan's") Of course accurency of this description can be a matter of dispute since the autor had limited resources and knowledge about Japan and its society thought it seems to show some facts about ordinary life and their Religious practice. Poland and Japan established Political relations after the World War I and a normal cultural exchange has begun at the end of XX century. To this time the Nipu Island were thought as fictional place....NIPPON in Japanese means Japan[2]
[edit] References
- The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom, Northwestern University Press, 1992, 148 pp., ISBN 0-8101-1014-8
[edit] External links
