THE DOLL – Romance, by Bolesław Prus

The Doll contains many subtle literary allusions, as well as references to contemporary Polish and European history and politics. The Doll, will contribute to a deeper understanding of the culture and history of countries which, since the opening of iron curtain, have been coming closer to us in many other ways. The city of Warsaw (under Russian rule in the late 1870s), is the setting for this sweeping panorama of social conflict, political tensions, and personal suffering. Wokulski (the middle-aged hero), bold and successful in business, is being destroyed by his obsessive love for the frigid, aristocratic society “doll,” Izabela.

The embattled aristocracy, the new men of finance, Dickensian tradesmen, and the urban poor all come vividly to life on the vast, superbly detailed canvas against which Wokulski’s personal tragedy is played out, illuminating new introduction to what is arguably the greatest Polish novel of the nineteenth century. http://www.amazon.com/The-Doll-Central-European-Classics/dp/1858660653