Witold Gombrowicz

Witold Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904, Ma?oszyce, near Kielce, Poland – July 24, 1969, Vence, near Nice, France) was a Polish novelist and dramatist active from the 1930s until the end of his life.

Biography

Gombrowicz was born as the youngest of four children of Jan and Antonina (nee Kotkowska), in rather wealthy noble family. In 1911 his family moved to Warsaw. After completing the education in Saint Kostka's Gimnazjum he studied law at Warsaw University from 1926 to 1932 and philosophy and economics in Paris. During his studies he was involved in the cultural life of Warsaw, where in, famous at that time, Ziemia?ska and Zodiak cafeteries he disputed with young writers and intellectuals. In 1933 Gombrowicz published several short stories as Memoirs of a Time of Immaturity; however, they were unfavourably estimated by critics. His first success came with the novel Ferdydurke, which won notoriety from the virulent criticism directed at it by the nationalistic part of the Warsaw establishment.

Related Topics:
1911 - Warsaw University - 1926 - 1932 - Philosophy - Economics - Paris - Warsaw - Intellectuals - 1933 - Memoirs of a Time of Immaturity - Ferdydurke

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Several days before the outbreak of World War II, he bought a boat ticket for Argentina.The voyage ended in Buenos Aires, . After the end of the voyage, on September the 1st 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Gombrowicz decided to stay in Argentina as a freewill Emigrant|emigrant.

Related Topics:
World War II - Buenos Aires

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For a long time he had worked as a bank official in Banco Polaco in Buenos Aires, the argentinian branch office of state bank. Hence Gombrowicz settled in Buenos Aires, there to remain for the next 25 years.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After World War II, Gombrowicz didn't come back to the Communism Poland. His novels and plays were blacklisted there until the late 70s; however, they were published in Polish by Jerzy Giedroyc, who in 1950 had established a Polish publishing house called Kultura in Paris, France. Gombrowicz's works were translated into many languages (eg. french, english, spanish, italian, japan, chinese). In the late 50s, the semi-autobiographical novel Trans-Atlantyk was staged in Paris and met with interest from French theater critics. In 1960s, Gombrowicz became internationally known. In 1963 he received the Ford Foundation scholarship for residence in Berlin, in 1964 he settled in Royamount near Paris, where as a secretary he employed Rita Labrosse, Canadian from Montreal, who studied modern literature. Later in 1964, he moved to Vence near Nice in the south of France, where he married Rita Labrosse and spent the rest of his life.

Related Topics:
Communism - 70s - Giedroyc - 1950 - Kultura - Paris - France - 50s - Ford Foundation - 1964 - Royamount - Montreal - Modern literature - Nice

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~