In Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel “With Fire and Sword,” the story of Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s uprising unfolds—an uprising that grew into a terrifying, bloody war between two peoples. A magnificent artist and realist, Sienkiewicz allows us to look at the events in Ukraine in the mid-17th century from the standpoint of the opposing side, to assess the actions of the Cossacks through their enemies’ eyes.
The novel’s plot is based on historical material, and the author does not invent conjectures like those possible in literary works. Yet in terms of its gripping appeal and an original twist of events, his novel does not уступает the works of Alexandre Dumas.