REJ, Mikołaj — A SHORT DIALOGUE BETWEEN THREE PEOPLE: THE LORD, THE VILLAGE HEADMAN, AND THE PARISH PRIEST, published in 2005 [NUMBERED PIECE]

Mikołaj Rej—A SHORT DIALOGUE BETWEEN THREE PEOPLE: A GENTLEMAN, A VILLAGE MAYOR, AND A PARISH PRIEST. A facsimile of Mikołaj Rej’s work, originally published in 1543, from the collection of the National Library in Warsaw

Commentary by P. Buchwald-Pelc. The 36th bibliophile publication of the National Library, issued in collaboration with the Committee for the Celebration of the 500th Anniversary of Mikołaj Rej’s Birth; National Library, Warsaw 2005. Print run: 450 pieces; piece no. 370. Dimensions : 15.5 x 10.5 cm; pp. 4—introduction + 80—facsimile (unnumbered). Leather-imitation binding (minor scuffs—scuffs on the spine). Blank pages.

Facsimile of M. Rej’s estate-based dialogue, based on a unique piece of the work from the National Library’s collection. The *Short Treatise...* itself reveals a conflict between the three estates: the nobility (the Lord), the clergy (the Parish Priest), and the peasantry (the Village Headman). This work marks the first time colloquial speech was introduced into Polish literature. Its author, Rej, is known as the “father of Polish literature.”