English Section

Sorbonne University hosts exhibition on Polish writer Gombrowicz

17.03.2025 22:00
An exhibition on Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz is set to open at Sorbonne University in Paris on Tuesday.
Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969).
Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969).Image created by Bohdan Paczowski, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The display, titled Gombrowicz. Moi, l’Européen, was put together by the Gombrowicz Museum in Wsola, east-central Poland.

The museum is housed in a mansion once owned by Gombrowicz's elder brother, where the writer was a frequent guest.

As part of Sorbonne’s Week of Central European Cultures, the opening ceremony will feature French students reading excerpts from Gombrowicz’s Diary and his conversations with French writer Dominique de Roux in both Polish and French.

The Gombrowicz Museum's Robert Utkowski told Poland’s PAP news agency that the Paris exhibition explores Gombrowicz’s views on European identity and Polishness.

"It was an attitude free of stereotypes," Utkowski said, describing Gombrowicz as "a rebellious provocateur and an individualist."

He added that Gombrowicz's perspective on society, tradition, "Polishness and Europeanness" was shaped by his long experience as an émigré.

Gombrowicz was one of the most influential Polish writers of the 20th century. His best-known works include the novels Ferdydurke, Trans-Atlantyk and Pornography, as well as the plays The Marriage and Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy.

He died in 1969 at age 65. His works have been translated into 40 languages.

(mk/gs)