The Doll

When Stanisław Wokulski, a former insurgent turned wealthy merchant, returns to Warsaw after making his fortune in the Russo-Turkish War, he expects to find a city ready for change. Instead, he is consumed by a single, reckless passion: the beautiful but cold-hearted aristocrat Izabela Łęcka. To win her, Wokulski throws himself into the glittering salons and hypocrisies of high society, funding her father's schemes, buying a carriage, and playing the part of the wealthy suitor. But Izabela is a doll—beautiful, empty, and traded among men who see her as a prize. As Wokulski's obsession deepens, his loyal clerk Ignacy Rzecki watches from the wings, recording his own quieter tragedy. Faithfully retold in vivid, natural English, this edition brings Prus's masterpiece to life for today's readers, preserving the novel's sharp social commentary and timeless heartbreak. Part of Timeless Classics.