<p>Because the poetry of Adam Mickiewicz is so closely identified with the history of the Polish nation, one often reads him as an institution, rather than a real person. In the&nbsp;<em>Crimean&nbsp;</em>and&nbsp;<em>Erotic Sonnets</em>&nbsp;of the national bard, we are presented with the fresh, real, and striking poetry of a living, breathing man of flesh and blood. Mickiewicz proved to be a master of Petrarchan form. His&nbsp;<em>Erotic Sonnets</em>&nbsp;chronicle the development of a love affair from its first stirrings to its disillusioning denouement, at times in a bitingly sardonic tone. The&nbsp;<em>Crimean Sonnets</em>, a verse account of his journeys through the beautiful Crimean Peninsula, constitute the most perfect cycle of descriptive sonnets since du Bellay.&nbsp;<em>The Sonnets</em>&nbsp;of Adam Mickiewicz are given in the original Polish, in facing-page format, with English verse translations by Charles S. Kraszewski. Along with the entirety of the&nbsp;<em>Crimean&nbsp;</em>and&nbsp;<em>Erotic Sonnets</em>, other &ldquo;loose&rdquo; sonnets by Mickiewicz are included, which provide the reader with the most comprehensive collection to date of Mickiewicz&rsquo;s sonneteering. Fronted with a critical introduction,&nbsp;<em>The Sonnets</em>&nbsp;of Adam Mickiewicz also contain generous textual notes by the poet and the translator.</p><p>Translated from the Polish and Introduced by Charles S. Kraszewski.</p><p>This book has been published with the support of the &copy;POLAND Translation Program.</p>