The Doll (Prus novel)

This article is about the Bolesław Prus novel. For other novels, see Doll (disambiguation) § Literature.
The Doll
Bolesław Prus, by Józef Holewiński. Frontispiece to 1st book edition of The Doll, 1890.
AuthorBolesław Prus
Original titleLalka
LanguagePolish
GenreSociological novel
PublisherGebethner i Wolff
Publication date
newspaper, 1887–1889; book form, 1890
Publication placePoland
Media typeNewspaper, hardback, paperback

The Doll (Polish: Lalka) is the second of four acclaimed novels by the Polish writer Bolesław Prus (real name Aleksander Głowacki). It was composed for periodical serialization in 1887–1889 and appeared in book form in 1890.

The Doll has been regarded by some, including Nobel laureate Czesław Miłosz, as the greatest Polish novel.[1] According to Prus biographer Zygmunt Szweykowski, it may be unique in 19th-century world literature as a comprehensive, compelling picture of an entire society.

While The Doll takes its fortuitous title from a minor episode involving a stolen toy, readers commonly assume that it refers to the principal female character, the young aristocrat Izabela Łęcka. Prus had originally intended to name the book Three Generations.

The Doll has been translated into twenty-eight languages, and has been produced in several film versions and, most famously, as a television miniseries in 1977.

  1. ^ ""Boję się twojej trzeźwości"". 24 September 2012.