Barbara Jeziorkowska
Barbara (Baśka) Jeziorkowska [ jɛʂɔkowska ] (later Wołodyjowska) is a fictional character from the historical epic Pan Wołodyjowski by Henryk Sienkiewicz . She is the main female actress, an orphan who marries the noble Michał Wołodyjowski .
In Jerzy Hoffman's 1969 film adaptation , Barbara is played by Magdalena Zawadzka .
Life story in the novel
Barbara Jeziorkowska's date of birth is not mentioned in the novel. At the beginning she was probably over 18 years old. She was an orphan in the care of Stolnik Makowiecki, Michał Wołodyjowski's brother-in-law . In 1668 she came to Warsaw with Krystyna Drohojowska and settled in Ketling's house. There she met Michał Wołodyjowski and fell in love with him. Though Zagłoba tried to arrange their marriage, Wołodyjowski proposed marriage to Krystyna. But the girl was in love with Wołodyjowski's friend Ketling. When Wołodyjowski found out, he made them happy together. Then Barbara told Wołodyjowski that she loves him. Both marry.
In 1672 Barbara and her husband went to Chreptiów, near Kamieniec Podolski . There they met Azja , a Tatar who serves as a Polish soldier . The man falls in love with Barbara. She didn't know anything about it, she thought he would want to marry Ewa Nowowiejska . Azja tried to kidnap Barbara, but failed because she managed to escape on a horse. She wandered around for a few days and found her way back to Chreptiów. She was out of breath and sick, but saved.
At the side of her husband Michał, Krytsyna and Ketling, Barbara went back to Kamieniec Podolski. The city was occupied by the Turkish army. When the city surrendered, her husband and Ketling blew themselves up.
Character description
Barbara is a young, petite girl. She has light, short hair and a beautiful face. She is lively, impulsive and cheerful. She's not afraid to tell Wołodyjowski that she loves him. Baśka is also good-natured and worried about her husband's soldiers. She is innocent and sometimes even a little naive. She doesn't see that Azja is looking for her, she thinks he is in love with Ewa Nowowiejska and wants them to arrange his marriage to her. But Barbara also shows a lot of courage when Azja tries to kidnap her. Her character is the complete opposite of Krystyna Drohojowska.
literature
- Henryk Sienkiewicz: Fire in the Steppe. Hippocrene Books, 1992, ISBN 0-7818-0025-0 .
- Jerzy R. Krzyżanowski: The Trilogy Companion: A Reader's Guide to the Trilogy of Henryk Sienkiewicz. Hippocrene Books, 1992, ISBN 0-87052-221-3 .
- Sienkiewicz Trilogy DVD edition, 2004.