eng A sad story of love, friendship and money
But for me, first of all, return to a language with happy memories, long forgotten already. Last time I spoke Polish was in the aeroplane returning from America more than 15 years ago. Last time I read a Polish book was 2007, and before that in 1994. My memories of visiting Polanand being in contact with Polish people are even older.
Strangely enough, there was something similar in those contacts with the story of this book, only not the very core of this story not included: no money, no paid love. But friendship and short meeting with friends. That is also the main contents of this book, as I see it.
However, there are also other views, above all, the moral view. This is treated with emphasis and strong hammering in the preview of this book, written as early as in 1867, the story by Alexandre Dumas, son, having been published in 1848. The preview is without signatue. It is not called preview, but 'Z powodu Damy Kameliowej', 'Due to...' hinting to the fact that this 'hammering' is not one personal view, but a summary of many. By swift reading I had the impression that the aim of this long writing comprising a quarter of the volume, is a versatile treatment of views sooner than drawing moral conclusion in favor or against. In the preview the moral aspects are really treated with much stronger emphasis than in the play itself.
Yes, the play? This polish edition is presented in the form of a screen play of five acts, whereas the French edition, supposedly following the original form is a novel of 27 chapters. Counting the scenes of the play ends up to much larger number than this of chapters. So, not comparing closer these two editions, the correspondence between the present Polish and French editions remains unclair. However, it is not difficult to understand that whatever the form, treatment of friendship, love, money and health, as it is still a central element in this story, has been a fascinating subject for more than 150 years. Not forgetting that as popular as the novel or the play is the third form of one of the most beloved opera La Traviata (woman lead astray, mislead, gone astray) by Verdi.
In spite of all this richness of human consideration, my verdict is only four stars, mainly because of, as it seems to me, artificially unnecessary splitting of the message to too many mouthfuls of insignificant crunches.
|