num_pages: 148
description: Winner, 1997 National Book Award for PoetryWinner, 1993 PEN Book-of-the-Month Club Translation PrizePublished in 1776 and considered the first Polish novel ever written, The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom is a picaresque tale following the naïve title character's coming of age. Having conquered (and fled) sophisticated Warsaw, Nicholas enjoys many adventures across Europe, South America, and the high seas. He finally lands among the natives of an unknown isle who reject his allegedly superior European ways and instead tutor him for an "enlightened" existence. Resonant with Enlightenment ideas, The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom provides a sly portrait of the era's Polish society and a fascinating perspective on the broader problems of eighteenth-century European culture.
language: English
title: The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom
titlecomplete: The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom (European Classics)
genres: Fiction, Polish Literature, School, Literature, 18th Century, Classics, Poland
ratings_count: 181
awards: awardedAt: 725875200000
name: PEN Translation Prize
category: Thomas Hoisington
publisher: Northwestern University Press