Henryk Sienkiewicz was born in 5 V 1845 in a little village named Wola Okrzejska. His grandparents were descendants of the polish nibility. That is why the myth of Poland and nobility was so strong in his family. He finished the secondary school in Warsaw were he had moved with his parents. He wanted to study Law in Warsaw University but his parents managed to persuade him to change the studies to medicine. But it wasn't his way neither. Finally he took language and literature studies which he finished but without the final exam. His friend from university said that he remembered him as slim, quiet and frail boy, who absolutely didn't seem to be a famous writer. After studies Henryk Sienkiewicz started to write his features for the newspapers.
He had rather bad luck in his personal life. He was married three times. His first wife, Maria Szetkiewiczówna, died after four years of marriage. They were very happy together and it was a tremendous blow for the artist. She died because of tuberculosis, although Sienkiewicz was spending money on the best sanatoriums in Europe. They had two children together. After ten years he married Maria Wołodkowiczowa but they had divorsed after three years. The third and the last marriage was with Maria Babska, who was his old friend.
He had very interesting life. From 1875 he started to visit different places not only in Europe. He was writing the reports from different, strange and wild places. People loved his articles. He was in USA, in Europe, in Russia, in Egypt and in Africa. He didn't stop traveling even after he was given a mansion in Oblęgorek by his grateful readers in 1900. During the first world war he moved to Swizerland where he set up a committee to help polish emigrants, soldiers, etc. he died there in 1924 and his body was taken back to Warsaw.
He was famous because of his articles, features, reviews, diaries from the expeditions. In Poland he achieved fame by writing "TRYLOGY". It was three books about Poland in XVII century during the wars with Swiss. the main characters: Skrzetuski, Kmicic, Wołodyjowski, Zagłoba, Podbipięta, Helena, Oleńka, Baśka, etc. are the best known characters even now. But the worldwide renown was achieved by his novel about ancient Rome and first Christians - "QUO VADIS".
In my opinion he was one of the biggest writers in Poland. He was a novelist who was writing for all people, he was not a poet, not an artist, he was just a writer. When you read his books you are totally proccupied with them. His books are not to be missed.
