after January 1937

[Drohobych]. Bruno Schulz dedicates and gives to Karol Ossowski two illustrations (for the stories Spring and Dodo) prepared for the book publication in the volume Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass.

Both illustrations were made with a pen on tracing paper, which proves that Schulz prepared them for printing. They are identical to the illustrations printed on pages 117 and 217 in the book version of the stories. Schulz drew other versions for the first editions of the magazine. The ones that appeared in the Rój* edition have probably returned to the author1 after completing their task. Schulz glued them to pieces of cardboard and added a passe-partout, where, at the bottom left, he placed two pencil dedications: “To Karol Ossowski, in friendship”, and on the right side the signature “Bruno Schulz”. Nothing is known about the time and circumstances of the delivery of the drawings. It is also unknown whether Ossowski received any other illustrations from Schulz for the book edition of the stories. What is more, known archival sources do not mention anyone who had that surname and was associated with Schulz. However, he is certainly a real person. In 1993, the Museum of Literature purchased both drawings from Karol Ossowski, i.e. from the recipient or heir of the same name and surname. In the catalogue prepared by Wojciech Chmurzyński2, there is information without any source reference that the dedication dates back to 1942. It is possible that it should be dated like this. However, it can be said with certainty that Schulz gave drawings to Ossowski after January 1937. We know that this month he handed over a set of materials to Rój. “It has grown to 270 pages and with 33 pictures, it will be about 300 pages”, he informed Tadeusz Breza3. (sr) (transl. mw) 

  • 1
    It cannot be ruled out that Schulz sent to the publisher the photographic reproductions of the drawings, keeping the originals for himself.
  • 2
    Bruno Schulz 1892–1942. Katalog-pamiętnik wystawy „Bruno Schulz. Ad Memoriam” w Muzeum Literatury im. Adama Mickiewicza, pod redakcją Wojciecha Chmurzyńskiego, Warszawa 1995, p. 292 (cat. 404).
  • 3
    Letter from Bruno Schulz to Tadeusz Breza dated February 3, 1937, [in:] Bruno Schulz, Dzieła zebrane, volume 5: Księga listów, zebrał i przygotował do druku Jerzy Ficowski, uzupełnił Stanisław Danecki, Gdańsk 2016, p. 59.