Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916)

Novelist and short-story writer, winner a Nobel Prize in literature for his merits as a writer. He studied at the Department of Philology of the Main School in Warsaw (later the Warsaw University). He published his first literary works in the press.

He frequented the Warsaw salons, which gathered personalities from the circles of literature and journalism, such as the salon of the famous actress Helena Modrzejewska.

In 1876, he departed for the United States, where he lived for two years. In 1879, he returned to Poland. In 1880, he started working on a historical novel Ogniem i mieczem (With Fire and Sword), which was published in increments in magazines. It earned him great popularity. It was reinforced with his later works such as Quo Vadis, Krzyżacy (The Teutonic Knights) and Rodzina Połanieckich (The Połaniecki Family). In 1905, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature for his merits as a writer.

After the outbreak of World War I, he emigrated to Switzerland. He died in Vevey near Lausanne. His ashes were brought to Poland in 1924 and placed in the underground of St. John’s Cathedral in Warsaw. His statue stands in the Łazienki gardens.