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michaelgrzesiak's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Witold Gombrowicz – Bakakaj (1933/1957) (8.5)
screen_memory's review against another edition
4.0
I don't often enjoy short stories, but I made an exception for Gombrowicz and I was not disappointed. Both Gombrowicz and Goytisolo are purveyors of the absurd, but Goytisolo's world is one of extraordinary violence - it is a world of unfathomable heaviness - whereas Gombrowicz' is extraordinarily light - all instances of violence, even cannibalism, accomplish an effect of humor, and are often the initiatory steps of a narrative Rube Goldberg machine that sets off a causal chain of circumstances which grow increasingly absurd.
Gombrowicz' universe is not so fantastical as much as it is situated on a fundament of logic that makes no sense in the world as we know it; it is based on a system of logic endemic to Gombrowicz' strange universe. In one story, a bored spectator of a tennis match fires a gunshot at the ball in mid-flight, after which the match becomes a mimetic performance - the players mime as though the ball were still in play (it just occurred to me that Michaelangelo Antonioni may have found influence from Gombrowicz for the closing scene of Blow Up). The bullet continues its trajectory and tears through the throat of a spectator on the opposite side. His wife, distraught, exacts her vengeance on the gunman via proxy - unable to reach the gunman, she slaps the man seated next to her who begins seizing. The audience, who would no doubt fall into hysterics or madness, or, at the very least, shock, in the world as we know it, erupt into cheers at the spectacle; so much more enthralling than the tennis match which prompted the gunman to open fire.
If anyone is ever in need of a respite from shouldering the weight of more demanding novels, of narratives of indescribable weight or seriousness, I would suggest a visit to Gombrowicz' world. He is what I call a vacation read - not a novel to be read at beachside, but a novel which can alleviate the exhausted consciousness after a round of more serious, more heavy literature (not to suggest Gombrowicz' books are mere trifles; they should be treasured and relished, but they present themselves to be enjoyed in their own peculiar manner).
Gombrowicz' universe is not so fantastical as much as it is situated on a fundament of logic that makes no sense in the world as we know it; it is based on a system of logic endemic to Gombrowicz' strange universe. In one story, a bored spectator of a tennis match fires a gunshot at the ball in mid-flight, after which the match becomes a mimetic performance - the players mime as though the ball were still in play (it just occurred to me that Michaelangelo Antonioni may have found influence from Gombrowicz for the closing scene of Blow Up). The bullet continues its trajectory and tears through the throat of a spectator on the opposite side. His wife, distraught, exacts her vengeance on the gunman via proxy - unable to reach the gunman, she slaps the man seated next to her who begins seizing. The audience, who would no doubt fall into hysterics or madness, or, at the very least, shock, in the world as we know it, erupt into cheers at the spectacle; so much more enthralling than the tennis match which prompted the gunman to open fire.
If anyone is ever in need of a respite from shouldering the weight of more demanding novels, of narratives of indescribable weight or seriousness, I would suggest a visit to Gombrowicz' world. He is what I call a vacation read - not a novel to be read at beachside, but a novel which can alleviate the exhausted consciousness after a round of more serious, more heavy literature (not to suggest Gombrowicz' books are mere trifles; they should be treasured and relished, but they present themselves to be enjoyed in their own peculiar manner).
kingkong's review against another edition
4.0
I guess all you need to write good short stories is to be a really good writer
corvidquest's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
Oh, I would have accepted the leprosy alone; but not leprosy and eroticism together, oh no, for the love of God, erotic leprosy?
The strongest stories here – "Lawyer Kraykowski's Dancer", "A Premeditated Crime", "Virginity", "Adventures", "The Events on the Banbury", and "The Banquet" – are first rate works of genius. At his best, Gombrowicz's hilarious surrealism highlights how supposedly superior European values are arbitrary and narcissistic. Something comes along that knocks these values off-kilter, and the story proceeds via an impeccable internal logic that renders the absurdity compelling and delightful. In the weaker stories, it sometimes feels there is nothing but absurdity, and the work feels unmoored. The successful stories make the overall collection worthwhile.
dilan11's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I understand the ingeniousness of Gombrowicz. These tales are unlike any other of their time although George Saunders, Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, even Monty Python of more recent times are in the same vein. I think that they are best appreciated as short stories because reading all twelve in succession grew tedious.
Only two stars for now (and certainly much of their power critiquing a time and culture are lost on me).
All these absurdist tales are also in first person so we are trapped inside this crazy person's head. Perhaps a few of them are funny but ones like Virginity are completely lost on me. I know that language driven books are markedly hard to translate but I think there is perhaps also a cultural disconnect for me. The polish ideas of religion, aristocracy, manners, etc. are not understood by me so I miss much of the irony, and the humor. I absolutely believe that Gombrowicz is a genius, but his genius is not accessible to me.
I think I enjoyed "A Premeditated Crime" the best.
Only two stars for now (and certainly much of their power critiquing a time and culture are lost on me).
All these absurdist tales are also in first person so we are trapped inside this crazy person's head. Perhaps a few of them are funny but ones like Virginity are completely lost on me. I know that language driven books are markedly hard to translate but I think there is perhaps also a cultural disconnect for me. The polish ideas of religion, aristocracy, manners, etc. are not understood by me so I miss much of the irony, and the humor. I absolutely believe that Gombrowicz is a genius, but his genius is not accessible to me.
I think I enjoyed "A Premeditated Crime" the best.
quadruploni's review
4.0
The first story, "Lawyer Kraykowski's Dancer," was startling and strange, but the second one was not so hot, so I've set this aside for another Archipelago title for the meantime.
sego11ne's review
5.0
When I was a kid I had a no-name book of short stories that had some ulterior motive, like SAT vocabulary or reasoning. Most of them are foggy, but one of them - a simple story about an old man thwarting his ungrateful family in death - was so tightly crafted and so perfect that now, nearly twenty years later, I still remember the whole thing nearly verbatim. This is how I see every one of the stories in this collection living on for me. This is the best thing I’ve ever read. Like Melville in its conceit and faintly fantastic ambiance, but cleaner and more concise. Like O’Connor for the cynicism and building sense of menace. Like Borges. Like nothing else at all.
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