Henryk K. Sienkiewicz

Quo Vadis - a Narrative of the Time of Nero Henryk K. Sienkiewicz

Quo Vadis translates to Where are you going? The splendor of the Roman Empire is the setting for this 1905 Noble Prize Winning love story. Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916) was a Polish writer and patriot. He is possibly best known abroad for his historical epic Quo Vadis. Quo Vadas is a love story between Marcus Vincius a Roman Tribune and Lygia a Christian girl. Lygia is of royal descent and is a hostage raised in a Roman home. At first Marcus feels only lust for the beautiful girl. Through political machinations by the elegant Petronius he contrives to have her taken by force from her foster home and into the decadent and terrible splendor of the court of Caesar. Quo Vadas is a story of the struggle between Christianity and paganism, set in Rome during the time of Nero and the early Christian martyrs. This is an excellent choice for any Latin student wanting to learn more about the life in Rome during Nero's reign