Description
The Polish Complex takes place on Christmas Eve, from early morning until late in the evening, as a line of people (including the narrator, whose name is Konwicki) stand and wait in front of a jewelry store in Warsaw. Through the narrator we are told of what happens among those standing in line outside this store, what happens as the narrator's mind thinks and rants about the current state of Poland, and what happens as he imagines the failed Polish rebellion of 1863. The novel's form allows Konwicki (both character and author) to roam around and through Poland's past and present, and to range freely through whatever comes to his attention. By turns comic, lyrical, despairing, and liberating, The Polish Complex stands as one of the most important novels to have come out of Poland since World War II.
About the Author
Richard Lourie is the critically acclaimed author of both fiction and nonfiction, including "The Autobiography of Joseph Stalin "and "Sakharov: A Biography." He has translated forty books and has served as Mikhail Gorbachev's translator for "The New York Times. "His articles and reviews have appeared in many influential publications, including "The New York Times, The Washington Post, "the "New Republic, "and "The Nation." He is currently a correspondent for "The Moscow Times."
Reviews
"The Polish Complex is a powerful and engaging book, deomonstrating how in the less fortunate parts of the world history becomes a private obsession, and how the collective subconscious can determine the fates of both individuals and nations." -- New York Review of Books "Like such other anarchic spirits as Flann O'Brien and Celine, Konwicki has a lovely way of writing, which never clogs chaos with self-pity and bestows upon the direst pages sentences of casual magic... Konwicki is effortlessly witty." -- John Updike, The New Yorker "An impassioned, furious polemic on Poland's impossible condition. Konwicki... Writes like a man who has nothing to lose--and who wants to use that freedom for the primary and urgent task of speaking the raw, unmediated truth." -- New York Times Book Review
Book Information
ISBN 9781564782014
Author Tadeusz Konwicki
Format Paperback
Page Count 211
Imprint Dalkey Archive Press
Publisher Dalkey Archive Press
Weight(grams) 263g
About the Author
Richard Lourie is the critically acclaimed author of both fiction and nonfiction, including "The Autobiography of Joseph Stalin "and "Sakharov: A Biography." He has translated forty books and has served as Mikhail Gorbachev's translator for "The New York Times. "His articles and reviews have appeared in many influential publications, including "The New York Times, The Washington Post, "the "New Republic, "and "The Nation." He is currently a correspondent for "The Moscow Times."
Reviews
"The Polish Complex is a powerful and engaging book, deomonstrating how in the less fortunate parts of the world history becomes a private obsession, and how the collective subconscious can determine the fates of both individuals and nations." -- New York Review of Books "Like such other anarchic spirits as Flann O'Brien and Celine, Konwicki has a lovely way of writing, which never clogs chaos with self-pity and bestows upon the direst pages sentences of casual magic... Konwicki is effortlessly witty." -- John Updike, The New Yorker "An impassioned, furious polemic on Poland's impossible condition. Konwicki... Writes like a man who has nothing to lose--and who wants to use that freedom for the primary and urgent task of speaking the raw, unmediated truth." -- New York Times Book Review
Book Information
ISBN 9781564782014
Author Tadeusz Konwicki
Format Paperback
Page Count 211
Imprint Dalkey Archive Press
Publisher Dalkey Archive Press
Weight(grams) 263g
