Operetta

by Witold Gombrowicz, Louis Iribarne (Translator)

"I have always been captivated by the form of the operetta which, in my opinion, is one of the most felicitous forms ever produced by the theatre. While opera remains something awkward, something hopelessly doomed to pretentiousness, operetta, in its divine idiocy, in its heavenly sclerosis, in its glorious etherealness thanks to song, dance, gesture and mask, seems to me the perfect theatre, perfectly theatrical."
—Witold Gombrowicz’s commentary on his Operetta from A Kind of Testament: Interviews with Dominique de Roux [Trans. Hamilton]

*

In Operette (Operetta), Witold Gombrowicz presents the history of the twentieth century as a series of costume changes. He contrasts this with a person who wants to withdraw from this process in order to be ‘naked’.

Baron Firulet and Count Agenor, both frivolous souls, vie for the heart of Albertinette. They shower her with the most sophisticated possible clothing. But Albertinette, obliged to wear these wondrous, hideous clothes, secretly dreams of nudity. Meanwhile, revolutionaries infiltrate the court: they want to overthrow the prevailing fashion, ‘The Shape’, at the forthcoming royal ball. Distrust your clothes! Question your costume!

Genres: Plays, Polish Literature

108 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Gombrowicz was born in Małoszyce, in Congress Poland, Russian Empire to a wealthy gentry family. He was the youngest of four children of Jan and Antonina (née Kotkowska.) In 1911 his family moved to Warsaw. After completing his education at Saint Stanislaus Kostka's Gymnasium in 1922, he studied law at Warsaw University (in 1927 he obtained a master’s degree in law.) Gombrowicz spent a year in Paris where he studied at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales; although he was less than diligent in his studies his time in France brought him in constant contact with other young intellectuals. He also visited the Mediterranean.

When he returned to Poland he began applying for legal positions with little success. In the 1920s he started writing, but soon rejected the legendary novel, whose form and subject matter were supposed to manifest his 'worse' and darker side of nature. Similarly, his attempt to write a popular novel in collaboration with Tadeusz Kępiński turned out to be a failure. At the turn of the 20's and 30's he started to write short stories, which were later printed under the title Memoirs Of A Time Of Immaturity. From the moment of this literary debut, his reviews and columns started appearing in the press, mainly in the Kurier Poranny (Morning Courier). He met with other young writers and intellectuals forming an artistic café society in Zodiak and Ziemiańska, both in Warsaw. The publication of Ferdydurke, his first novel, brought him acclaim in literary circles.

Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, Gombrowicz took part in the maiden voyage of the Polish cruise liner, Chrobry, to South America. When he found out about the outbreak of war in Europe, he decided to wait in Buenos Aires till the war was over, but was actually to stay there until 1963 — often, especially during the war, in great poverty.

At the end of the 1940s Gombrowicz was trying to gain a position among Argentine literary circles by publishing articles, giving lectures in Fray Mocho café, and finally, by publishing in 1947 a Spanish translation of Ferdydurke written with the help of Gombrowicz’s friends, among them Virgilio Piñera. Today, this version of the novel is considered to be a significant literary event in the history of Argentine literature; however, when published it did not bring any great renown to the author, nor did the publication of Gombrowicz’s drama Ślub in Spanish (The Wedding, El Casamiento) in 1948. From December 1947 to May 1955 Gombrowicz worked as a bank clerk in Banco Polaco, the Argentine branch of PeKaO SA Bank. In 1950 he started exchanging letters with Jerzy Giedroyc and from 1951 he started having works published in the Parisian journal Culture, where, in 1953, fragments of Dziennik (Diaries) appeared. In the same year he published a volume of work which included the drama Ślub (The Wedding) and the novel Trans-Atlantyk, where the subject of national identity on emigration was controversially raised. After October 1956 four books written by Gombrowicz appeared in Poland and they brought him great renown despite the fact that the authorities did not allow the publication of Dziennik (Diaries), and later organized

Reviews

[Noam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A jolly operetta, full of what one can expect: Among others dancing, costumes, a count, a prince and a princess, a baron, a general, a priest, a banker, servants, pickpockets and… a girl! The text is so musical that you can almost hear music while reading it. It reminded me of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. Wonderful!

But is it as happy as it may seem to be? Certainly not. It shows us the history of the 20th century as an endless change of costumes, leading into the abyss. One can only hope to get rid of all these costumes, just like the girl always wanted.

If this world is as it is, at least we can laugh about it!

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5

[Jagoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

absurdalny dramat w sumie nie jestem pewna o czym
Ale ja to odbieram jako problem ahistoryzmu ludzkości i uciekania od autentyczności w pozorną nowoczesność
A no i Hitler też tu był
To apropos tego ze nikt nie wie o co chodziło i nic nie pamięta
Podobało mi się bo to Gombrowicz ale też nie jestem pewna czy to naprawdę się stało, (bo to Gombrowicz)

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated, deep and as absurd as Gombrowicz's play can be. And of course, with REAL meaning. Something that today's play really lack. It's not only 'some weird story about being naked' as my friend said. For me, it's play that shows as what is true meaning of being honest with yourself.

[Clarence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niezwykle interesujący i szalony dramat. Mam nadzieję, że będę miał kiedyś okazję ujrzenia go na scenie.

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

czyste szaleństwo. myślę o możliwościach inscenizacji i tym, jak neologizmy Gombrowicza stały się innowacjami, które weszły do systemu… piękne

[Knedelfina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Co

[marysia · Rating 3 out of 5]

dupa burżuju musi się różnić od dupy proletariatu (pół gwiazdki więcej, bo jednak czytając to miałam ubaw)

[Wojtek Konieczny · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10
"Nagość, phoszę państwa, jest demagogiczna, jest wphost socjalistyczna (…), bo i cóż by było, gdyby gmin odkhył, że nasza dupa taka sama?"

Świetny tekst - zarówno jeśli chodzi o sam koncept, jak i jego realizację.

[Nathan Hodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up on a whim because I recently read Cosmos. Operetta is equally ridiculous to the point of humorous and I can see the styles of Gombrowicz bleed through. A story about being too wrapped up in ones own desires to bother listening to others. Also a revolutionary riding a horse/puking professor, dueling bourgeoisie with pickpocketers/dogs on leashes, and a woman who only wants to be naked being covered in so many layers of clothes that she can't move.

[Pompuś · Rating 3 out of 5]

Podobno postać profesora zainspirowała Andrzeja Sapkowskiego do napisania słynnnego "Sezonu Burz", w którym król Viraxas przemienia się w utopca zwanego Hrabiną Mignole. Tak czy siak, tarcza Alzura nie pozwala przejść obojętnie obok przejścia podziemnego na Świdnickiej, gdzie obojętność oznaczałaby niechęć do licytacji na aukcji "jego Świątobliwości" Vigiego Pomyleńca. Czy sierżant Ardal wrócił już z wyprawy do Zangwebaru?

[Jakub Brudny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trzecia pominięta przeze mnie praca Gombrowicza w krótkim czasie i zdaje się że najsłabiej przeze mnie zrozumiana, ale autentycznie zabawna i ma chyba najlepiej zapadające w pamięć postaci z Operetki, Opętanych i Ślubu więc to też na plus

[Dsdolata · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[v]

nagość!!!!!!!

[alutka · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was craaaaazy

[Dorottya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was probably the most confusing play I have ever read. I mean, Iget the messages and themes, like the forgotten sanctity of the body, the arbitrariness and craze of fashion, the parody of the sugar coated operetta world (albeit I felt some of the parodistic elements were just too far-fetched and over-the-top), the silly manneurisms...
but. I just could not enjoy it. Actually, the reason for not giving 1 star for me are the messages, more or less, and the fact that I'm usually quite light-hearted with giving out stars, and as long as a piece of literature doesn't make me angry for some reason, it's not going to get a 1-star rating from me. And it didn't make me angry, it made me more "what the...???".