The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-05
TALK WITH S!ENKENICZ
OPINIONS, EXPERIENCES AND
METHODS OF THE FAMOUS
POLISH AUTHOR
HE WORKS WITH REGULARITY
ONE Curious Particularly of His
Method Is That He Invariably
Uses Red Ink-Hls
"QuO Vadis."

Faultlessly dressed, and for his age
he is today ffty-three years old-re-
markedly well preserved he presents the
perfect type Of the Polish gentleman of
that aristocracy which is inferior to none
in Europe. His manner is languid; he
speaks slowly and without Volubility, and
though he has done most of the things
which this world offers for rich man
to do, he seems to take little interest in
anything outside of literature This
lanSuor and indifference may possibly re,
suit III some degree from the state Of
his health-a fever which he contracted
during a six months hunting expedition
in Africa In 1891 has left him with chronic
dyspepsia-as well as from his habit Ct
constantly smoking the strongest cigars
There has also been a great grief in his
life But when he is talking of literature
as, for instance, when he spoke to me
Of Dostoievsky and l<ipling-his languor
leaves him. He raises himself in his
chair, the cigar is laid aside, his eyes
light up, and his words come loud and
fast.
Henryk sienkiewicz began to write, and
has written ever since, purely from
love of the art. Indeed, in Poland,
authorship, unless combined with
journalism, IS a luxury which meme but
the rich can afford. Authors there are
the hacks of the booksellers. The con-
ditions Of Grub street prevail and the
payment for a sheet of sixteen pages
falls below what even moderately popu-
lar author IN England receives for his
thousand words. Fortunately for modern
literature, Sienkiewiez is man Of
fortune
81 began to write" he told me, when
I was twenty years old. At that time I
was a student Of history at the Uni
versity of Warsaw. My first book was a
novel called In Vain II was accepted
and printed That is all that I can say
as to its success
II work with great regularity" he
said, "and am at my writing table every
day from a. m. till 2 p. m. After that
hour do not write any more, but spend
much time in reading. When I was pre-
pairing for Quo Vadjs' I read a quantity
Of books of all kinds and in various
languages. My daily output Is most ir-
regular. lola, I understand, produces a
fixed daily quantum. I often on one day
write more pages than I write lines ON
another day. Apropos of lola, I wish
to say how greatly I admire the man for
his courage in the Dreyfus affair"
A curious particularly about Sienlzie-
wicz's method Of work is that he invar-
iably uses red ink. His red ink is as
much his fetch as the golden drying
sand is Lola's or the little Nuremberg
fgurtnes are Ibsen's
He is great traveller and a lover Of
sport and adventure. He has held his
own against pirates, he has shot lions.
he has fought with crocodles on the
banks Of the Kingarzi Wami and has
been attacked by an infuriated hippopota-
mus.
II organized this expedition" he said,
in 1891. Count Tyshevicz was my COM
panion. We went via Zanzibar and
and thence into the German possessions
We Travelled on foot, Of course, camping
in tents. No literary work was pos
sible. But we had many adventures.
the most exciting of which was per-
haps, when g. hippopotamus attacked our
boat and tried to upset it. The boat
however, was too big. It was al
very pleasant until the fever took me.
had two bad attacks, and so determine
ed to return home and avoid a third at
tack, which would have been fatal. AS
lay in my tent one night and listened