Mention Books In Pursuance Of Ferdydurke
ISBN: | 0300082401 (ISBN13: 9780300082401) |
Edition Language: | English URL http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/reviews.asp?isbn=9780300082401 |
Literary Awards: | ALTA National Translation Award (2001) |
Narrative During Books Ferdydurke
In this bitterly funny novel by the renowned Polish author Witold Gombrowicz. a writer finds himself tossed into a chaotic world of schoolboys by a diabolical professor who wishes to reduce him to childishness. Originally published in Poland in 1937. Ferdydurke became an instant literary sensation and catapulted the young author to fame. Deemed scandalous and subversive by Nazis. Stalinists. and the Polish Communist regime in turn. the novel (as well as all of Gombrowicz's other works) was officially banned in Poland for decades. It has nonetheless remained one of the most influential works of twentieth-century European literature.Ferdydurke is translated here directly from the Polish for the first time. Danuta Borchardt deftly captures Gombrowicz's playful and idiosyncratic style. and she allows English speakers to experience fully the masterpiece of a writer whom Milan Kundera describes as "one of the great novelists of our century."
"Extravagant. brilliant. disturbing. brave. funny-wonderful. . . . Long live its sublime mockery."
~ Susan Sontag. from the foreword
"[A] masterpiece of European modernism. . . . Susan Sontag ushers this new translation into print with a strong and useful foreword. calling Gombrowicz's tale 'extravagant. brilliant. disturbing. brave. funny... wonderful.' And it is."
~ Publishers Weekly
Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969) wrote three other novels. Trans-Atlantyk. Pornografia. and Cosmos. which together with his plays and his three-volume Diary have been translated into more than thirty languages.
Identify About Books Ferdydurke
Title | : | Ferdydurke |
Author | : | Witold Gombrowicz |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
Published | : | August 11th 2000 by Yale University Press (first published 1937) |
Categories | : | Fiction. European Literature. Polish Literature. Classics. Cultural. Poland |
Rating About Books Ferdydurke
Ratings: 3.86 From 9471 Users | 305 ReviewsDiscuss About Books Ferdydurke
Ferdydurke appeared in Germany without commentary to explain briefly what it is aboutthus some critics and readers did not know where to begin.I think about the basic assumptions of Ferdydurke regarding criticism and I can endorse them without reservation. There are enough innocent works that enter life looking as if they did not know that they would be raped by a thousand idiotic assessments!To avoid this kind of assessment I decided to let Witold Gombrowicz speak about Ferdydurke himself.The curse and joy of returning to one's youth with all of one's thirty-something literary grown-man cultural baggage intact. Lovely, troubling, a punk rock slap in the face to all our feigned adulthood, seriousness, and sobriety. A rather serious lark. I disagree with Susan Sontag's introduction, however. Gombrowicz's presentation of youthful extravagance, tension, and conflict is a far cry from modern American popular culture's re-presentation of youth as some sort of white bread yesteryear of
I didn't like this book. I didn't hate it either. If I could have given it two and a half stars I would have. I liked the premise. Parts of it were interesting, and I think I got what he was doing with the work, but it just never gelled for me. Maybe if I had read it straight through without taking a bit of a break with reading a history book I might have enjoyed it more, but by about page 200 the whole book felt like work. For example I was on the bus, and I had the choice between reading this
right in the snoot! bash him right in the pupa!
I cant remember why I decided to read this book, but it has been on my pending list for about two years now. I questioned a Polish friend about it fairly extensively (luckily he didnt get annoyed, which I probably would if someone started to pester me about Dickens simply because Im British, which is essentially what I was doing) and he said that I would probably enjoy it because I have a sick brain. I decided to take this as both a compliment and a recommendation rolled into one, and Im glad I
Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969) is considered as one of the most important literary figures in Poland. Ferdydurke was his first novel and he published this in 1937 when he was 33 years old. Two years after its publication Russian invaded Poland and turned it into a communist country. Poland subsequently banned this book so Gombrowicz hid in Argentina and France.Ferdydurke is a darkly satirical comedy that is considered modernist. The main protagonist and the narrator of the story, Joey Kawalski is
Gombrowicz is a useful author more than anything else. This book, for example, gives you an idea - "immaturity" - and then shows you how it can be used to systematically dismantle every system of meaning you might come across. People complain about philosophical novels, but "philosophy" here doesn't mean argument, or logic - more like following an intuited form as it grows and surprises.
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