2 h 22 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Step into deep woods where cleverness matters, magical gifts change lives, and kindness faces the test.
In Polish Fairy Tales, A. J. Gliński gathers stories from Poland’s oral tradition. Kings and peasants, clever youths and cruel stepmothers share a Slavic world of forests, villages and castles. Enchanted creatures and magical gifts bring wonder, while bold deeds put character to the test.
These separate tales explore courage, cleverness and the memory of a people. Gliński preserves stories from a Poland without independence, where folk tales carry a country’s voice. Within them, kindness, bravery and patience earn rewards, while pride, greed and cruelty bring trouble. Simple rhythms and repeated patterns invite you to read aloud.
What you’ll discover
- A people’s living memory Discover folk stories that preserve Poland’s voice through familiar wonders and tests of character.
- From cottages to castles Explore humble homes, royal courts and deep woods where ordinary lives meet enchantment.
- Courage meets cleverness Meet brave and resourceful figures whose choices reveal the value of kindness and patience.
- Patterns to listen for Enjoy three tasks, three brothers or three journeys, with rhythms that reward reading aloud.
- The promise of justice Find the fairy-tale pleasure of goodness rewarded and cruelty brought to account.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love folk tales, parents looking for stories to read aloud, and anyone curious about Polish and Slavic storytelling. It may disappoint those who want modern psychological depth or a single connected plot.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Tales gathered from a people's memory
- A world of kings, peasants and magic
- What the tales teach about courage and cleverness
- How to read and hear these stories
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- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Contes polonais
Step into deep woods where cleverness matters, magical gifts change lives, and kindness faces the test.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
Tales gathered from a people's memory
Gliński belonged to the Romantic age of the nineteenth century. In those years, scholars and writers across Europe went looking for the old stories of ordinary people. They believed that songs, proverbs and tales held the true spirit of a nation. For Poland, which then had no state of its own, this work carried special weight.
The tales in this book come from that spoken tradition. They were told by country people long before anyone wrote them down, and they passed from one teller to the next. Such stories change a little with every telling, so they carry the habits of many voices. You can hear this in their plain openings, their repeated patterns and their sudden leaps from one place to another.
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What is Polish Fairy Tales about?
It is a collection of traditional Polish folk tales with kings, peasants, magical helpers and hard trials. Each story stands alone and usually rewards courage, kindness or cleverness while punishing greed and cruelty.
Who wrote Polish Fairy Tales?
The tales were gathered and retold by A. J. Gliński, a Polish author who died in 1866. He drew on the oral storytelling tradition of Poland and wrote his collection in the nineteenth century.
Are these Polish fairy tales true stories?
No. They are folk tales passed down by word of mouth, full of magic and wonder. They reflect the beliefs, values and daily life of the people who told them rather than real events.
The author
A. J. Gliński
Polish folklorist
A. J. Gliński was Antoni Józef Gliński, a Polish collector of folk tales who lived from 1817 to 1866. He lived in Vilnius, now in Lithuania. His collection Bajarz polski was published there in 1853. Tales from this collection later appeared in English under the title Polish Fairy Tales.
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