Witold Gombrowicz
Witold Gombrowicz
Witold Marian Gombrowiczwas a Polish writer. His works are characterised by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937 he published his first novel, Ferdydurke, which presented many of his usual themes: the problems of immaturity and youth, the creation of identity in interactions with others, and an ironic, critical examination of class roles in Polish society and culture. He gained fame only during the last years of his life, but is now considered...
NationalityPolish
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth4 August 1904
CountryPoland
Witold Gombrowicz quotes about
Don't be fooled by your own wisdom
Serious literature does not exist to make life easy but to complicate it.
I became bold because I had absolutely nothing to lose: neither honors, nor earnings, nor friends. I had to find myself anew and rely only on myself, because I could rely on no one else. My form is my solitude.
Foolishness is a twin sister of wisdom.
Great poetry must be admired, because it is great and because it is poetry, and so we admire it.
A universal style is one that knows how to embrace lovingly those not quite developed.
Wherever I see some mystique, be it virtue or family, faith or fatherland, there I must commit some indecent act.
Our element is unending immaturity.
Not surprisingly, because too much attention to one object leads to distraction, this one object conceals everything else, and when we focus on one point on the map we know that all other points are eluding us.
Beauty beheld in solitude is even more lethal.
A brilliant liar; he has total recall.
Great! I've written something stupid, but I haven't signed a contract with anyone to produce solely wise and perfect works. I gave vent to my stupidity...and here I am, reborn.