My Reading Reviews: Quo Vadis

Quo Vadis

Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz

Modern translation by: W. S. Kuniczak

Henryk Sienkiewicz was a Polish author of the nineteenth century (1846-1916) and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. It appears that he authored quite a few short stories, as well as books, during his lifetime with his last book being published in 1912. I believe a lot of Sienkiewicz's books were historical novels, although he did publish some works on contemporary subjects including the psychological study of "a sophisticated
decadent man" titled Bez Dogmatu (translation: Without Dogma). (Ref: www.nobelprize.org) Interestingly enough, it is said that most of Sienkiewicz's novels were first written as a series for the newspaper and, upon completion of the story, were published into books. Such is the case for this specific book, Quo Vadis (translation: whither goest thou). 

Prior to writing Quo Vadis, Henryk Sienkiewicz did extensive historical research, including multiple trips to Italy, to learn about the cultures, practices, and religious rites of the Roman times. This book was originally written in Polish, as should be expected, but has been translated into over forty languages. Quo Vadis, published in 1895, sold over one million copies by 1900 and remains one of Sienkiewicz's internationally best-known works of literature. (www.newworldencyclopedia.org)

Quo Vadis is a historical novel set in Rome during the reign of Nero (A.D. 54-68). The main characters of the story are Vinicius, Ligia, and Petronius, although there are a lot more characters that are also important to the storyline. Vinicius, an officer in the Roman army having returned from being away at war, visits his uncle, Petronius, to seek advice on how to acquire a Lygian girl that he saw/met at another Roman officers home - a Christian home unbeknownst to most everyone. Petronius, who rubs shoulders with Nero as an advisor of sorts, comes up with a plan and sets it into motion. And, the results are quite unexpected to the characters in the book and for the reader! There is a lot of story that takes place, and the author is pretty detailed in describing the events and happenings. If you know anything about Roman history, you would know to expect the drunken orgies, the pagan worship, and the evil rulings of Nero who burned Rome. Before the book ends, you will have read about Nero's history with women, the political games played to try and stay alive, the grand feasts and parties that ultimately ended in gross debauchery, and the gut-and-heart-wrenching methods Nero used for his "games" in the Colosseum. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart (in many ways!), and it does not sugar-coat the events of history too much.

This book could be said to be a historical fiction romance as the story ultimately revolves around a love story. But, I would not consider this book to be your typical romantic fiction; there is so much more to it. Also, I initially did not foresee this book as being a Christian novel, and I'm not sure that it is, but there is a definite element of Christian religion that grows ever stronger as the story evolves. As the Christian element grows, so does the persecution of the Christians. And, Vinicius and Ligia, the two main characters, are right in the middle of everything- the Christian side and the evil, orgy, pagan side.

When looking for a book to read this past month, I was not intending to read this heavy, 579-page book. For my last book review, I had chosen a short book from Jason's collection. He was so pleased that I had read something from his personal library that I told him to pick the next book. He chose Quo Vadis. I had never heard of, or seen, this book before and it just looked huge and boring. Jason told me that this book is the epitome of a classic, that he got to read it in the "King James version" (old English translation) while overseas, and that he has read this modern translation at least twice. I still was not sold on the book and, even though I needed something to read, I didn't think I could finish it in a month. I was in for a surprise. 

It took me a while to get started on the book. I felt it a bit cumbersome at first and, when I got to the first event with Nero's drunken sex parties, I wondered what the book was really about. I stuck with it though and after the first few chapters I couldn't put the book down. I initially thought the book was over-descriptive, but I soon learned to pay attention to the descriptions. The author, and the story, drew me in such that I had to see what happened next as I could never quite pin-point how it was going to turn out. And while there are many parts of the storyline that were revolting, repulsive, and horrific, it was well-portrayed with the realization that those things really did happen during that time. Real people, young and old alike, lived like that, experienced that, and died like that.

I ended up finishing the book in 15 days. And, while I came away from the book feeling quite somber and wondering if I would recommend it for others to read, I remembered something one of my college instructors said: "Those who don't know history are bound to repeat it." There may be some argument about whether the accounts of the apostle Peter and Paul of Tarsus within this story are historically accurate, or questionable time-frames of some of the Roman history that is portrayed. But even I, with my not-so-expanse knowledge of history, knew that most of the events portrayed within the story did happen at one time or another. And, I think that is what drew me into the story and captivated my attention, as gut-wrenching as it was at times.

I have thought about this book, Quo Vadis, for the past two weeks and what I would write about it. I'm not sure what makes a book a "classic" (Jason says that if it's still around after 100 years, it's a good, classic book), but this is one book that I would recommend as a "thick", fiction read. Especially if reading straight-up history books isn't your thing. It's not a "deep" book, but I would say it is a little dense, or heavy. Definitely not a fluffy, easy, quick read- at least not for me. For myself, it raised my awareness of needing to learn more about history, Christianity, and staying apprised of what's happening today. Because, as my teacher said, "Those who don't know history are bound to repeat it."

How about you: have you read, or heard of, Quo Vadis? And if so, why, or why not, would you recommend it?