Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 â€" July 24, 1969) was a
Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep
psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd,
anti-nationalist flavor. Because he was a leftist, bisexual, and
anticlerical who defied all party lines, his books were banned in
communist Poland.[1] In 1937 he published his first novel, Ferdydurke,
which presented many of his usual themes: problems of immaturity and
youth, creation of identity in interactions with others, and an
ironic, critical examination of class roles in Polish society and
culture. He gained fame only during the last years of his life, but is
now considered one of the foremost figures of Polish literature. His
diaries were published in 1969 and are, according to the Paris Review,
"widely considered his masterpiece".[2] He was a Nobel Prize candidate
in Literature in 1966, according to a recently published
database.[3]Gombrowicz was born in Małoszyce near Opatów, then in
Radom Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, to a wealthy
gentry family. He was the youngest of four children of Jan and
Antonina (née Kotkowska). In an autobiographical piece, A Kind of
Testament, he wrote that his family had lived for 400 years in
Lithuania on an estate between Vilnius and Kaunas but were displaced
after his grandfather was accused of participating in the January
Uprising of 1863.[4] He later described his family origins and social
status as early instances of a lifelong sense of being "between"
(entre).[5] In 1911 his family moved to Warsaw. After completing his
education at Saint Stanislaus Kostka's Gymnasium in 1922, Gombrowicz
studied law at Warsaw University, earning a MJur in 1927.[6] He spent
a year in Paris, where he studied at the Institute of Higher
International Studies (French: Institut des Hautes Etudes
Internationales). He was less than diligent in his studies, but his
time in France brought him in constant contact with other young
intellectuals. He also visited the Mediterranean.When Gombrowicz
returned to Poland he began applying for legal positions with little
success. In the 1920s he started writing. He soon rejected the
legendary novel, whose form and subject matter were supposed to
manifest his "worse" and darker side of nature. Similarly, his attempt
to write a popular novel in collaboration with Tadeusz Kępiński was
a failure. At the turn of the 1920s and 1930s Gombrowicz began to
write short stories, later printed under the title Memoirs of a Time
of Immaturity, edited by Gombrowicz and published under the name
Bacacay, the street where he lived during his exile in Argentina. From
the moment of this literary debut, his reviews and columns began
appearing in the press, mainly the Kurier Poranny (Morning Courier).
Gombrowicz met with other young writers and intellectuals, forming an
artistic café society in Zodiak and Ziemiańska, both in Warsaw. The
publication of Ferdydurke, his first novel, brought him acclaim in
literary circles.[7]Just before the outbreak of the Second World War,
Gombrowicz took part in the maiden voyage of the Polish transatlantic
liner MS Chrobry, to South America.[8] When he learned of the outbreak
of war in Europe, he decided to wait in Buenos Aires until it was
over; he reported to the Polish legation in 1941 but was considered
unfit for military duties. He stayed in Argentina until 1963â€"often,
especially during the war, in poverty.
Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep
psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd,
anti-nationalist flavor. Because he was a leftist, bisexual, and
anticlerical who defied all party lines, his books were banned in
communist Poland.[1] In 1937 he published his first novel, Ferdydurke,
which presented many of his usual themes: problems of immaturity and
youth, creation of identity in interactions with others, and an
ironic, critical examination of class roles in Polish society and
culture. He gained fame only during the last years of his life, but is
now considered one of the foremost figures of Polish literature. His
diaries were published in 1969 and are, according to the Paris Review,
"widely considered his masterpiece".[2] He was a Nobel Prize candidate
in Literature in 1966, according to a recently published
database.[3]Gombrowicz was born in Małoszyce near Opatów, then in
Radom Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, to a wealthy
gentry family. He was the youngest of four children of Jan and
Antonina (née Kotkowska). In an autobiographical piece, A Kind of
Testament, he wrote that his family had lived for 400 years in
Lithuania on an estate between Vilnius and Kaunas but were displaced
after his grandfather was accused of participating in the January
Uprising of 1863.[4] He later described his family origins and social
status as early instances of a lifelong sense of being "between"
(entre).[5] In 1911 his family moved to Warsaw. After completing his
education at Saint Stanislaus Kostka's Gymnasium in 1922, Gombrowicz
studied law at Warsaw University, earning a MJur in 1927.[6] He spent
a year in Paris, where he studied at the Institute of Higher
International Studies (French: Institut des Hautes Etudes
Internationales). He was less than diligent in his studies, but his
time in France brought him in constant contact with other young
intellectuals. He also visited the Mediterranean.When Gombrowicz
returned to Poland he began applying for legal positions with little
success. In the 1920s he started writing. He soon rejected the
legendary novel, whose form and subject matter were supposed to
manifest his "worse" and darker side of nature. Similarly, his attempt
to write a popular novel in collaboration with Tadeusz Kępiński was
a failure. At the turn of the 1920s and 1930s Gombrowicz began to
write short stories, later printed under the title Memoirs of a Time
of Immaturity, edited by Gombrowicz and published under the name
Bacacay, the street where he lived during his exile in Argentina. From
the moment of this literary debut, his reviews and columns began
appearing in the press, mainly the Kurier Poranny (Morning Courier).
Gombrowicz met with other young writers and intellectuals, forming an
artistic café society in Zodiak and Ziemiańska, both in Warsaw. The
publication of Ferdydurke, his first novel, brought him acclaim in
literary circles.[7]Just before the outbreak of the Second World War,
Gombrowicz took part in the maiden voyage of the Polish transatlantic
liner MS Chrobry, to South America.[8] When he learned of the outbreak
of war in Europe, he decided to wait in Buenos Aires until it was
over; he reported to the Polish legation in 1941 but was considered
unfit for military duties. He stayed in Argentina until 1963â€"often,
especially during the war, in poverty.
Share this

SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.