Paraphrasing Goethe’s statement, one might argue that whoever would want to understand Poles and Poland must explore Adam Mickiewicz. The volume under review demonstrates that studying the quintessentially Polish poet can provide insights beyond the national context traditionally imposed by critics and scholars. Professors Jerzy Fiećko and Mateusz Stróżyński of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań have endeavored to alter this trajectory, presenting Mickiewicz as an essential figure in the metaphysical current of European literature. In their weighty introductory essay they convincingly argue that Mickiewicz’s metaphysical poems pose universal questions stemming from his profound engagement with Greek and Judeo-Christian intellectual traditions. The Mickiewicz portrayed in this volume is not merely a marble statue; he is an erudite figure with a deep understanding of Greek philosophy, the Bible, the western metaphysical tradition, and the writings of Church Fathers and Christian mystics. This expanded context assists readers in discovering and appreciating the depth of Mickiewicz’s intellectual and spiritual pursuits. By referencing distinguished Mickiewicz scholars such as Wacław Borowy, Jacek Brzozowski, Juliusz Kleiner, Marian Maciejewski, and Czesław Zgorzelski, the editors not only make their research accessible to non-Polish audiences but also intriguingly recontextualize their findings, rendering them relevant to the proposed metaphysical interpretation of Mickiewicz.

The core of the volume comprises “twenty-seven poems by Mickiewicz, translated into English by Stróżyński and Jaspreet Singh Boparai, who cooperated closely to try to bring across Mickiewicz’s spiritual and intellectual stature and his unique literary voice into contemporary English” (x). The outcome of their collaboration is impressive. This anthology features selected poems from all stages of Mickiewicz’s life, from his early Romantic period through the poetry of the Vilnius-Kaunas, Rome-Dresden, and Parisian periods, culminating in the Lausanne lyrics. The selection of poems for anthologies is often disputable. In this instance, one might question the omission of the Crimean Sonnets, which contain significant observations regarding transcendence, the numinous nature of the Crimean landscape, and the struggle between good and evil. However, the editors’ bold decision to include poems traditionally overlooked by critics, such as “Faith and Reason,” helps to balance this omission.

The editors also deserve praise for producing a dual-language anthology. By preceding English translations with their Polish originals, they allow room for both those interested in further research and those with some command of Polish to engage with the text. The quality of translation is excellent. While it is impossible to fully capture the sound patterns of Mickiewicz’s verses in a language so different from Polish, the authors have made significant efforts to preserve the rhythm, recognizing that “the way a translated poem sounds in the target language is important to its new reading” (Marta Skwara, “(Mis)translation as a Literary Success,” Przekłady Literatur Słowiańskich, vol. 10, part 1 [2019]: 38). Their decision to translate rhymed verse into non-rhymed verse and focus on the semantic layer of the texts is commendable. By prioritizing semantics, they have successfully retained the beauty of Mickiewicz’s verse despite the loss of its original phonic qualities. The high intellectual value of this collection is indisputable.

The commentaries following the anthology provide a historical-biographical background, followed by a brief description of the original poem’s autograph, format, and meter, along with explanations of phrases requiring clarification. Previous English translations are listed, and references to literary and intellectual traditions are made. Where necessary, literary, philosophical, and theological contexts are provided, incorporating citations from German, French, and English literatures, as well as from Church Fathers and mystical writings. These contextual insights shed new light on Mickiewicz’s intuitions as a metaphysical poet and greatly enrich the volume.

In his review of Michael Mikoś’s anthology Polish Romantic Literature, Harold Segel concluded that “perhaps in time, as the interest grows, helped along by a book such as Professor Mikos’s, publishers may be willing to take on collections of translations of less familiar monuments of Polish romanticism” (Harold B. Segel, “Polish Romantic Literature: An Anthology by Michael J. Mikoś,” The Polish Review 48, no. 3 [2003]: 375). While Mickiewicz’s oeuvre definitely cannot be counted as “less familiar,” we now have in our hands a coherent, well-edited, and brilliantly commented-upon dual-language anthology of his poems. Many of these poems have not been translated before, and they disclose a previously unknown face of Poland’s greatest poet.