Czech, Atlantida ostrov ohně, trans. Anna Bauerová, Praha: Mlada Fronta, 1978.

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 16, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp., section by Maria Kruhlak, pp. 160–162.

Awaru, son of a tribal chief, secretly goes as Shanti (he assumes this name for the duration of his trip) to Atlantis, an island located nearby. His task is to penetrate the interior of the unknown island and try to find out how to conquer it. It turns out, however, that he is not alone in his attempt. While spying the terrain, he meets his old enemy from another kingdom who also is seeking an opportunity to take over the island. Atlantis seems to be a technologically advanced world. Awaru is surprised that people are friendly towards him, and it makes the decision to transfer data to assist in the attack difficult. Pretending to be Loki (common name for local researchers) he is travelling around the island. After he learns about the wise and peaceful people and their life he decides to leave Atlantis alone. Many adventures later, he reaches the town of Tees, where becomes aware that all the time he was being watched, but no harm was done to him, because as an individual he was not considered a safety threat. At the end of the story, volcano Suhmi erupts and Atlantis sinks into the ocean, but people from Awaru’s tribe rescue him. Atlantis, an Island of Fire is a supplementary reading for 6th graders.

Atlantis, as described by Plato in Timaeus and Critias, has fascinated and inspired writers across centuries. Kuczyński used this motif and some information known from Plato’s tradition (the location of the island, the advancement of its people, the confederation of rulers (here, a council) of great and marvelous power, violent earthquakes and floods which engulfed the inhabitants and caused the island to disappear into the sea), but presented to young readers his own creative, completely different vision of this mysterious land, combining elements of sci-fi and adventure set in the distant past. Since the author was not a classicist but rather a keen traveler and explorer, he used his imagination to show the reader a civilization as seen by a young traveler spy from an entirely different Old Land. At the beginning, Awaru/Shanti knows almost nothing about the island of Atlantis, so the reader accompanies him during the process of discovery. The young spy creates reports that the reader can consider the most important information for future conquest.

The people of Atlantis are described as technologically advanced: they use electric energy, build using concrete, cultivate specific genetically modified plants, know magnifying glass, develop geology, collect monitoring data of seismic activity, build a safety system using technological devices and trained animals or can transport things and people quickly due to the invention of the wheel. Awaru is amazed by the strange and magnificent culture and facilities that the Atlanteans use in their everyday life. They believe in science and technology, and that is why they live in peace, as they depend on a defense system that makes them safe from any potential foes. Their mystery is revealed shortly before the catastrophic eruption: they are also aware of the danger to their land. It is gradually sinking, and they are preparing to leave the island in about 5 years. 

However, the book's main idea is not only to present the marvelous world of Atlantis but rather to present a man asking questions and seeking the answers, his challenges, achievements, and internal change due to the contact with other people. Awaru uses his intelligence, ingenuity, and strength to avoid being captured while collecting information about the Atlantean world. The young man develops his mental abilities not only to survive. Posing philosophical questions, having learned a lot, and experiencing selfless kindness and help, he starts feeling compassion and sympathy and eventually cannot act against the locals and cause their extinction. The moment of realization comes, however, too late. Neither the people from Old Land nor the Atlanteans can achieve their final goal: Awaru’s people cannot conquer Atlantis, which sinks under the waves, and the islanders die along with their culture before they manage to leave their homeland. The only survivors are the boy, an Atlantean girl and a tame animal, Sheri. The reader is not told what happens to them in the end.

"Maciej Kuczyński. 40 lat życia na wyprawach", odkrywcy.com (accessed: June 16, 2021).

Illustrator:

1967: Mieczysław Majewski (1915–1988).