O "Rohnedzie" Michała Borcha

ENOn learning that his verse novel "Rohneda" would not be published due to censorship issues, the poet Michał Borch created an abridged version and submitted it to the local periodical Rubon in 1845. Despite the authors (censor’s? editor’s?) grave cutbacks, "Rohneda" comes across as a work worthy of a researcher's attention. Based on Old Russian chronicles, it tells the gruesome story of a princess from Polotsk, raped in front of her family (who were subsequently murdered), and kidnapped by Vladimir the Great to become his mistress against her will, until the time was ripe for revenge. Borch transgressed a legend to create a literary work by introducing substantial changes, such as sharpening or mellowing characters, actions and retorts, as well as introducing quite clear political allusions. Borch's verse novel, purposefully rid of dramatic fragments, concentrates on the theme of a humiliated female personality. His other works also depict women in the Middle Ages ("Dzieje w legendzie" is a biography of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk). The work's psychological layer is curious, reminiscent of the romantic Byronie frenzy. The original topic of revenge, cut out in the revisions, can only be surmised on the basis of Roneda's numerous self-reflections.