The Peasants, [Vol. 4]: Summer

''The peasants, [vol. 4] : Summer'' by Władysław Stanisław Reymont is a novel written in the early 20th century. It paints a rich, communal portrait of rural Polish life in the village of Lipka, where land, faith, custom, and desire bind and divide families. Centered on the Boryna household and their neighbors, it follows the rhythms of work and worship, the pull of inheritance and marriage, and the pressures from gentry and outsiders. Expect a sweeping, character-driven village saga with Hanka, Antek, Yuzka, and Jagna among the key figures. The opening of the novel begins with the sudden death of the patriarch, Matthias Boryna, discovered by his dog and mourned by his family and the whole village. Ambrose and neighbors prepare the body, Matthew builds the coffin, the priest and blacksmith arrange the funeral, and Hanka’s grief is threaded with urgent thoughts about land and the absent Antek. A rain-soaked, solemn funeral procession reveals the community’s faith and fear as the priest scolds their sins and the Squire pointedly seeks a settlement with Lipka over forest rights. After the burial feast, the night fills with uneasy signs of the dead man’s spirit, then the scene shifts to the blazing feast day of Saints Peter and Paul: bells, crowds, booths, prayers, and gossip. The Germans pass through, leaving Podlesie under jeers; the Squire flatters the peasants; and the organist’s son, now a seminarian, charms the crowd—especially Jagna. Hanka is shamed to find her father begging among the Dziads, while at home the blind beggar is fed and villagers trade news: Simon’s banns with Nastka, Dominikova’s fury, and rumors of the Voyt’s missing money. The section closes with youthful courtship, rivalry, and the smith calling a meeting, as everyday life resumes under summer’s glare.