The Peasants

In the autumn fields of a Polish village, faith, labor, and survival are bound together under the priest's watchful eye. As he moves from prayer to ploughland, he meets the poor, the blind, the ragpicker, the child herding a red cow, and other figures of the harvest season, revealing a community where ritual greetings and shared hardship hold village life together. Yet beneath the abundance of orchards, rivers, and golden fields lies constant strain: women and laborers gossip bitterly about poverty, inheritance, and family greed, and the collapse of Hanka's cow plunges the household into panic. As evening bells sound and the workers return home, the novel deepens into a portrait of peasant endurance, with Boryna's rage over the dying animal exposing the brutal economy of land and livestock. Inside the crowded cabin, Yagna emerges as a mysterious, earthbound presence, while rain, delay, and restless desire tighten the emotional pressure. Her encounters with the reckless Matthew ignite scandal and passion, drawing sharp rebukes from Dominikova and setting household tensions aflame. Rich in seasonal detail and village drama, this is a vivid, unsparing tale of rural life, desire, and the cost of survival. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.