Novel about November Rising Released

• PostEagle
• January 14, 2013
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Finale to the trilogy by James Conroyd Martin

This past December, The Warsaw Conspiracy was released.  The story focuses on the Polish Cadets’ Revolution of 1830-31.  On November 29, 1830, Polish cadets rose up against Russia, calling for independence—and a great number of the populace followed suit in nearly a year’s-long struggle against a czar who had declared Poland his and himself King of Poland.

Known for his novel Push Not the River, based on the diary of a Polish countess, and its sequel Against a Crimson Sky, James Conroyd Martin takes his characters into this tumultuous era with The Warsaw Conspiracy.  While the finale to the trilogy crowns the work (Koniec wieńczy dzieło), the story fully stands on its own.

From the back cover:  Engaging and opulent, The Warsaw Conspiracy unfolds as a family saga set against the November Rising (1830-1831), partitioned Poland’s daring challenge to the Russian Empire. Brilliantly illustrating the psyche of a people determined to reclaim independence in the face of monumental odds, the story portrays two brothers and their fates in love and war. Michał is a seasoned veteran soldier, cautious of the evolving conspiracy;  Józef, his much younger brother and impassioned cadet, finds himself caught up in the vortex of a daring plot to abduct the Grand Duke of Russia. With Siberia or emigration to France looming as heart-rending contingencies, matriarchs Anna and Zofia stay steadfast in their resolve to steer the clan through ever-muddying waters.

Initially, the book is available from www.Amazon.com both in quality paperback and in the Kindle e-book format.  Other channels include www.ThingsPolish.com with more to come. Request it at your library or favorite bookstore.

Leonard Kniffel, former American Libraries Editor-in-Chief, writes: “If you thought the first two installments of James Conroyd Martin’s historical trilogy were enthralling, wait until you read the third. More than a simple adventure or romance, The Warsaw Conspiracy is a heartstopping journey through post-Napoleon Poland as another generation of freedom-loving Poles resists the domination of a hostile neighbor. Martin’s uncanny insight into the Polish national psyche and his vigorous prose make this a compelling page-turner as we learn the fate of our heroines Anna and Zofia and their family. Historical facts and details of daily life combine to keep you riveted to the page.”

 Martin’s first book, Push Not the River, is a novel based on the diary of Anna Berezowska, a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the Third of May Constitution in the 1790s.  After working on the project for some years without raising interest within the publishing community, Martin self-published in 2001. Just one year later, St. Martin’s Press purchased the book and released a hard cover edition in September 2003.  Polish and German rights sold almost immediately.

The Polish edition, Nie ponaglaj rzeki, was released in May of 2005, became a bestseller and sold out in a matter of months. Anna’s story had come full circle: Polish to English to Polish! Pod purpurowym niebem, the translation of Against a Crimson Sky, also became a bestseller when published in December of 2007. Also in 2007, Martin was awarded a Gold Medal from the American Institute of Polish Culture.

Martin, who holds degrees from St. Ambrose and DePaul Universities, is a longtime English and creative writing teacher at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois. He is working on his fourth novel, the centerpiece of which is the Battle of Vienna in 1683;  it highlights the love and aspirations of a young man whose fervent—but unlikely—dream is to be a Polish hussar.