Memoirs of the Polish Baroque

Memoirs of the Polish Baroque: The Writings of Jan Chryzostom Pasek, A Squire of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania by Jan Chryzostom Pasek, translated by Catherine S Leach, 296 pages

In his time, Jan Pasek fought in battles, got in duels, trained an otter to fish, flirted with treason, helped elect kings, and fretted endlessly about his finances.  It was, on the whole, an unremarkable life for a member of the 17th century minor Polish nobility.  What was remarkable was that Pasek chose to memorialize his life, writing summaries of his activities during each year to edify the children that, as God willed it, he would never have.  Long neglected, his memoirs were rediscovered in the 19th century and created a sensation, feeding into both the romantic fantasy of a picturesque past and a conquered people's dream of a nation.

Most 21st century readers will not share the concerns of either Pasek or his 19th century admirers, so that the appeal of the text depends on Pasek's charm and talent.  Fortunately, these are considerable - strong enough, in fact, to make the literal truth of the narrative largely irrelevant.  It helps that Pasek's embroideries of history lean towards edification more than self-justification.