Description

---

This is the first English translation of Witold Gombrowicz's Diary, the most Polish and the most universal of his works. Volume Two explores a more personal and intimate side of Gombrowicz in his adopted country of Argentina. Gombrowicz takes the readers into salons, homes, encounters in restaurants and theaters, dramatizing and self-dramatizing, turning the Diary into a work blending techniques of fiction and theater.

About the Author

---

Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 in Maloszyce, Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship, Congress Poland, Russian Empire – July 24, 1969 in Vence, near Nice, France) was a Polish novelist and dramatist. His works are characterized by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and an absurd, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937 he published his first novel, Ferdydurke, which presented many of his usual themes: the problems of immaturity and youth, the 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.

Praise For…

---

"Every page contains speculation and query about the human condition, brilliant perceptions and criticisms of Rimbaud or Sienkiewicz, Nietzsche or Camus." --John Bayley, New York Review of Books


"Having this book in my hands, I felt a joy at the thought that strong personalities, like that of Gombrowicz, sooner or later find recognition thanks to the sheer intensity of their existence." --Czeslaw Milosz, New York Times Book Review


"One of the most remarkable works of modern literature: Gombrowicz's great unscrolling of spleen, playfulness, opposition, brilliance, and subversion. . . . Essential."

—Kirkus Reviews