After 12 January 1937

Warsaw. Witold Gombrowicz visits the ailing Schulz. He shows him an unfinished manuscript of Ferdydurke.

During his stay in Warsaw* Schulz becomes ill with the flu. He does not leave bed for ten days1. He is only visited by Gombrowicz*, who gives him a nearly finished version of the manuscript of Ferdydurke. Schulz is the first to read the novel in this form2. In a letter to Tadeusz Breza he described it as “magnificent”3, yet it is not an entirely sincere opinion. After many years, Schulz’s real opinion about the presented manuscript is cited by Gombrowicz himself: “You should have returned to your fantasy from Pamiętnik z okresu dojrzewania, that genre suits you better”4, and also “I think this should not be published”5. Schulz’s cool reaction makes Gombrowicz think. He will spend the next few months revising the novel, which will be published at the end of October 1937. Only the final book version of Ferdydurke will delight Schulz6. (ts) (transl. ms)

 

See also: 24–30 October 1937*, first half of November 1937*, 11 January 1938*, July 1938*. 

  • 1
    Bruno Schulz’s letter to Tadeusz Breza from 2 February 1937, [in:] Bruno Schulz, Księga listów, compiled and edited by Jerzy Ficowski, revised by Stanisław Danecki, Gdańsk 2016.
  • 2
    “Bruno was first. I trusted him”, see Witold Gombrowicz, Wspomnienia polskie, Kraków 2002, p. 126.
  • 3
    Bruno Schulz’s letter to Tadeusz Breza…
  • 4
    Qtd. in: Witold Gombrowicz, Dziennik 1953–1969, Kraków 2013, p. 656.
  • 5
    Idem, Wspomnienia polskie, p. 126.
  • 6
    See Bruno Schulz’s letter to Romana Halpern from 16 November 1937, [in:] Bruno Schulz, Księga listów...