/ARTS WEEKLY/ LITERATURE-ARGENTINA: It’s Gombrowicz’s Turn

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Mar 17 2004 (IPS) - Czech writer Milan Kundera considers the author’s work the precursor to the modern European novel, and Mexico’s Carlos Fuentes says one of his novels should be included among the 10 best of the 20th century, but Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz never imagined fame when he went hungry, living as an outcast in Argentina.

This year, which would be his 100th birthday, Gombrowicz (1904-1969) will be feted in various events in Buenos Aires, where he spent 24 very productive years in terms of his literary career.

But he was not part of the celebrity circles of local authors, and scraped by, often living in cheap hotels.

After the author of "Ferdydurke" embarked for Poland once again in 1969, several years had to pass before writers in Argentina realised the mark he had made on their country. Now his work is recognised around the world, but in Argentina his books are very expensive and usually have to be specially ordered.

Gombrowicz is not considered an author that would appeal to the tastes of the general public, although booksellers say that many people seek out his titles.

"The Enigma of Gombrowicz", an exhibition of letters, photos, drawings and excerpts from his diary, will serve as a tribute to the author at the Borges Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires, sponsored by the Polish embassy. Roundtable discussions are also planned during the exhibit’s run, from Mar. 18 to mid-April.

Then come the honours to be announced during the 30th Buenos Aires Book Fair, to open its doors in April. And later this year, in November, a special event is scheduled at the famed Teatro Colón: the operetta "Geschichte", based on a piece by Gombrowicz.

The Borges Cultural Centre’s literary adviser, Alejandro Vacaro, told IPS that Gombrowicz and his works "continue to be an enigma" for many Argentines, given that the now famous Polish writer "cultivated amongst his peers the art of being unpleasant, and he did nothing to disseminate his writing," which explains the local indifference towards him while he lived in Buenos Aires.

After leaving Argentina, Gombrowicz was the first to be surprised by his fame. He was soon acclaimed by his colleagues in Europe and Argentina alike, and in the 1970s was mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Kundera has said that Gombrowicz’s work was a precursor to the modern European novel, and has compared him to no less a figure than Czech author Franz Kafka.

According to Fuentes, "Ferdydurke" (a book that is almost impossible to find in Argentina), should be included on the list of "10 best novels of the past 100 years."

Argentine writer Santiago Vega (also known as Washington Cucurto), author of "Cosa de negros", said in a conversation with IPS that Gombrowicz and his dear friend, the exiled Cuban poet Virgilio Piñera ("La isla en peso"), were "marginalized" from Argentina’s literary circles of the era.

But, he said, the irony is that the two foreigners "reinvented Argentine literature for the future."

Gombrowicz was rejected by the group of writers headed by Victoria Ocampo, editor of the journal "Sur", which published work by the famed Jorge Luis Borges and Adolfo Bioy Casares. But he was taken under the wings of Piñera and Argentines Carlos Mastronardi, Arturo Capdevila and Juan Carlos Gómez, among others.

Vega notes that the Polish author had "a band of followers" who helped him translate "Ferdydurke" into Spanish. Those "assistants" included Cubans Piñera and Humberto Rodríguez Tomeu, and other foreign and Argentine writers.

These intellectuals would gather at a café. Gombrowicz explained to them what each paragraph said, and the improvised team would translate it.

"I am happy that Ferdydurke was born in Spanish this way, and not in the sad workshops of the book industry," the author wrote in the preface to the first Spanish edition.

In addition to "Ferdydurke", written just before moving to Argentina, Gombrowicz penned "Transatlantic", "Seduction", "Cosmos" and "Diary of Argentina", among other novels, essays and plays.

Most of his works were written in Argentina, where there were periods when he went hungry, according to literary adviser Vacaro.

The author disembarked in Buenos Aires thinking he would stay for a brief visit, but the outbreak of World War II convinced him to stay in exile.