For a 17th-century European, Iceland must have been an almost mythical island – a land of smoking volcanoes and icy winds surrounded by a hostile ocean full of fantastic beasts and sea wonders. It was the destination of Daniel Vetter who reached the island in 1613. He recorded his observations from his several-week stay in one of the most intriguing travel works of Old Polish literature – Islandia álbo Krotkie opisanie Wyspy Islandyji (Iceland, or a Short Description of the Island of Iceland). This inconspicuous work, first published in 1638, remained forgotten for a long time, and it was only thanks to the research of Prof. Dariusz Rott that the text was rediscovered and edited.
English
Język Polski