In which I recommend books on Polish history

Portrait of Izabela Czartoryska née Fleming by Alexander Roslin (National Museum in Krakow)

This website is dedicated to Polish literature, not history. But occasionally I get asked by friends for recommendations of books on Polish history. I wrote this note for my friend Herb, but because I think it may be useful to others, I ill reproduce it here:

Hello Herb

A great idea to read up on Polish history. Polish history is quite extraordinary for its sheer twistiness, and as such, it is an excellent way to deepen our understanding of the incredible richness of the historical processes that have shaped our continent and the many ways in which a nation becomes and remains a nation.

The usual go-to book on Polish history is Norman Davies' God's Playground, a highly readable two-volume account, but it is just the sort of one-damn-thing-after-another you specifically ask me not to recommend.

And I understand: you're not preparing for an exam. You're just trying to learn something about the country while having fun.

And for this, I think it would be difficult to beat Adam Zamoyski's Izabela the Valiant: The Story of an Indomitable Polish Princess, Zamoyski is a good, highly readable author. The heroine of the book, Izabela Czartoryska, was a fascinating, strong-willed person, probably the richest woman in Europe, a princess related to or friends with many crowned heads of Europe, a patron and collector of art, a politician, and a mother of five children by five different men. She was also the center of the events which led to Poland's downfall in 1795, and the book perforce has to contain a brief outline of Polish history up to that point--the rise and fall as an East European power. And the fact that the book covers the fall of Poland makes it topical: it describes the destruction of an ancient Republic by Russian interference in the Republic's domestic affairs.

Another book which addresses a specific and fascinating topic but incorporates a brief summary of more recent Polish history by reference is Norman Davies' Trail of Hope: The Anders Army, An Odyssey Across Three Continents. This tells the story of Polish POWs taken by the Russians in 1939 when they invaded Poland in alliance with Hitler. When Hitler then invaded the USSR, Stalin about-faced, and the POWs were formed into an army to fight the Germans. And just then, the story of the Katyń murders (the Russians murdered 20,000 Polish POWs execution-style) broke out, there was a diplomatic rupture, and the army left the USSR. By way of Iran, Iraq, Palestine, and Egypt, it fought its way to Venice and Milan. It is a fascinating piece of history, very well told, and gives you a good picture of the diplomatic shenanigans which led to Western allies abandoning the Polish prewar government and recognizing Russian puppets instead.

I should emphasize that while strictly speaking this is a history of an army, it is not military history. That army amounted to an exodus of Poles from Russia, it took with it hundreds of thousands of women and children and non-combatants, actors and writers, scholars and scientists, it ran not only hospitals but also orphanages, schools, publishing houses, and theaters. It was an army, a nation, and a government in exile all in one, on the move. It is a fascinating piece of social and political history

Finally, the same author has a book of the sort I really like: Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present, which sets out to show how certain aspects of Polish history have come to shape our self-image, our attitudes to Russia, Europe, capitalism, statehood, law, personal liberty, and so forth. A great book to muse on philosophically.