The Peasants

The Peasants, by Władysław Stanisław Reymont is a novel written in the late 19th century. The book centers on rural village life, depicting the everyday experiences of Polish peasants as they contend with the changing seasons, social customs, and their own relationships. The narrative focuses on characters like Boryna, his family, and their neighbors, giving an intimate portrayal of peasant struggles, family conflicts, traditions, and connection to the land. The opening of the novel introduces the reader to the setting—a Polish village in the midst of autumn—through the travels and conversations of its varied inhabitants, including a wandering beggar woman named Agatha and the local priest. Daily work, anxieties about the coming winter, and village gossip are woven through richly detailed scenes: the potato harvest, efforts to heal a stricken cow, and the social tensions of inheritance and marriage. Central figures like Boryna, the prosperous and aging farmer, are revealed in their domestic conflicts, grief over losses, and considerations about remarriage. The community’s rhythms, feuds, and hierarchy are vividly established, immersing the reader in the rural world that will be explored throughout the rest of the novel.

Władysław Reymont published *The Peasants* serially between 1902 and 1908, and later in four volumes between 1904 and 1909, each volume describing a season. This edition, the first English translation published in 1924, includes all the seasons in a single volume. The book is renowned for its naturalistic depiction of rural daily life and its account of many Polish traditions, some of which are still preserved today. Critics have praised its fusion of realism with impressionism and symbolism. It was for this work that Reymont received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1924.

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Lydbog: 23. april 2026