15 February 1934, Thursday

Zakopane. Zofia Nałkowska receives an illustrated and bound manuscript copy of The Cinnamon Shops from Bruno Schulz.

In an entry of 15 February 1934 Zofia Nałkowska* informs readers that she has received from Bruno Schulz a manuscript copy of The Cinnamon Shops, Schulz’s debut book, to which Nałkowska has contributed greatly. “From Bruno his book, illustrated by himself for me and hand-bound in brown silk”1. The book did not survive to date; it was destroyed in July 1935 in a fit of jealousy by Zofia Nałkowska’s partner, Bogusław Kuczyński.

In the next part of the entry, Nałkowska is quite flattering about Schulz’s fiction and mentions some early reactions to The Cinnamon Shops. “What a world completely singular, pathetic and brilliant. His letters. Again, an excellent review in Wiadomości Literackie (and earlier in Pion)”2. Next, Nałkowska compares Schulz with her other literary protégés: Michał Choromański* and Adolf Rudnicki*. “Although I have probably succeeded most with Choromański – in terms of publicity and popularity, qualitatively he is far behind Rudnicki and Schulz”3. (mr) (transl. mw)

See also: The Cinnamon Shops*, 16 April 1933*, December 1933*, 2 March 1934*, 20 July 1935*. 

  • 1
    Zofia Nałkowska, Dzienniki IV: 1930–1939. Część 1 (1930–1934), opracowanie, wstęp i komentarz Hanna Kirchner, Warszawa 1988, p. 401.
  • 2
    Ibid.
  • 3
    Ibid., p. 401–402.