Henryk Sienkiewicz

The Knights of the Cross (Annotated) Henryk Sienkiewicz

The Knights of the Cross or The Teutonic Knights (Polish: Krzy?acy) is a 1900 historical novel written by the eminent Polish Positivist writer and the 1905 Nobel laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz. Its first English translation was published in the same year as the original. The book was serialized by the magazine Tygodnik Illustrowany between 1897-1899 before its first complete printed edition appeared in 1900. The book was first translated into English by Jeremiah Curtin, a contemporary of Henryk Sienkiewicz. The Teutonic Knights had since been translated into 25 languages. It was the first book to be printed in Poland at the end of World War II in 1945, due to its relevance in the context of Nazi German destruction of Poland followed by mass population transfers. The book was made into a movie in 1960 by Aleksander Ford. Krzy?acy tells the story of a young nobleman, Zbyszko of Bogdaniec, who together with his uncle Macko of Bogdaniec returns from the war against the Order (Knights of the Cross) in nearby Lithuania. In a tavern inn Zbyszko falls in love with the lovely Danusia, who is traveling with the court of the Duchess Anna.