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asher553Last weekend I spent a quiet, unremarkable, and relaxing Shabbat at home. I am gradually getting more into the habit of reading on a regular basis, especially on Shabbat, and today I reviewed some pages in Dawidowicz's book on the Jews of Eastern Europe, and then - with Eastern Europe fresh in my mind - picked up my copy of Michener's 'Poland' and read the first two chapters straight through.
The first chapter is set in the present day (early 1980s, during the Solidarity uprisings; the book was published in 1983) and tells the story of Buk, the fictional leader of a farmers' protest movement - potentially more dangerous to Warsaw and Moscow than Solidarity - and his opposite number from the Warsaw government, Bukowski, who turns out to be Buk's first cousin once removed.
The second chapter goes back to the Mongol / Tatar invasions of the 13th century. (The Mongols used Tatars as light cavalry support; the latter were ruthless and agile fighters, but lacked the breaching equipment of the Mongols. Although both groups were sometimes referred to generically as "Mongols", the distinction proved critical to Krzysztof's defense of Gorka Castle.) [193]
The first chapter is set in the present day (early 1980s, during the Solidarity uprisings; the book was published in 1983) and tells the story of Buk, the fictional leader of a farmers' protest movement - potentially more dangerous to Warsaw and Moscow than Solidarity - and his opposite number from the Warsaw government, Bukowski, who turns out to be Buk's first cousin once removed.
The second chapter goes back to the Mongol / Tatar invasions of the 13th century. (The Mongols used Tatars as light cavalry support; the latter were ruthless and agile fighters, but lacked the breaching equipment of the Mongols. Although both groups were sometimes referred to generically as "Mongols", the distinction proved critical to Krzysztof's defense of Gorka Castle.) [193]
