Read this when
The Doll
He built an empire to impress her. She complained about him in English, sure he couldn't understand. He could.
Who it's for
Wokulski is a capable, generous, self-made man who pours a fortune and years of effort into winning Izabela Łęcka, an aristocrat who sees him as a useful tradesman.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Bolesław Prus's realist novel was serialized in Kurier Codzienny from 1887 to 1889 and published as a book in 1890. It is set in Warsaw over about a year and a half from 1878. It centres on Stanisław Wokulski, a successful merchant, and his unrequited devotion to the aristocrat Izabela Łęcka. Interleaved diary entries by Ignacy Rzecki, Wokulski's older store manager, reach back to the 1848–49 Spring of Nations.
Where to find it
Polish original is public domain and free online. David Welsh's English translation is in print from NYRB Classics (2011) and available in libraries; Kindle edition exists. English audiobook availabil.
Before you start
Heads up: A suicide attempt and suicidal despair.
Age: Ages 16+
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1, Scene 1
