Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916) - great Polish writer, best known for his prose masterpieces.

Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1905 for the novel 'Quo vadis' (1896).

'Quo vadis' is a popular and widely translated novel of an ancient Rome during the reign of the emperor Nero. It tells a story of love, which developed between a young Christian woman Lygia, and a Roman officer Marcus Vinitius, who converts to Christianity after meeting Lygia and her fellow Christians. The book shows also the great contrast between Roman riches of Nero and the simple life of first Christians and their religion.

Wladyslaw Reymont (1867-1925) - Polish writer and novelist. His prose is a great panorama of Polish 19th century life.

Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1924 for 'The Peasants' (1902).

'The Peasants' is an epic, four-part novel of peasant life. Written in peasant dialect, tells a story of love of Antek Boryna and Jagna. The narrative structure follows the four seasons, holidays and church rituals, which rule the peasant life. It's a great overview of peasant mentality. '(...) one has to plow in order to sow, one has to sow in order to harvest, and what is disturbing has to be weeded out, like a bad weed.'

Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004) - great Polish author, translator and critic.

Awarded the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1980 for his poems.

The poetry of Czeslaw Milosz is a mixture of intimate confessions, religious and metaphysical consideration. It is also a great review of his analyses of Polish politics, history and literature. 'The exile of a poet, is today a simple function of a relatively recent discovery; that whoever wields power is also able to control language, and not only with the prohibition of censorship, but also by changing the meaning of words.'

Wislawa Szymborska (1923) - Polish famous poet and translator. One of the few women who received a Nobel Prize.

Awarded the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1996, for the creation of her poetry as a whole.

Her poetry is a review of today's human beings condition. It is made to heal the world of hypocrisy and lies. Szymborska often uses bad language to emphasize the power of her words. 'Is there then a world / where I rule absolutely on fate? (...)'