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Three Plays: Princess Ivona, the Marriage and Operetta
These milestones in modern theatre unequivocally demonstrate Gombrowicz's importance as a contributor to, and forerunner of, the Theatre of the Absurd. Gombrowicz draws on elements of darkly subversive fairy tales, dreams and witty parody to confront themes of personal identity and the collapse of existing value systems.
Princess Ivona , first performed in 1938, is set against the backdrop of a dysfunctional royal court. Ivona, an unattractive and apathetic girl, finds herself entangled in the intrigues of the court, to which she finally falls victim. She is the only person who behaves consistently throughout, thus becoming, curiously, a stable point from which the Court's absurd and nonsensical behaviour can be seen as such.
The Marriage , written in 1946, uses a dream technique to explore the shifting relationship between reality and imagination. Henry, a young soldier during World War II, has a dream involving his parents, his sweetheart and his best friend. Henry's imagination attributes multiple roles to the cast of his dream - Father and King, Mother and Queen, Servant and Princess, Friend and Courtier. The character transformations illuminate the ways in which one's character and relationship to others is determined wholly through others' individual perception.
Operetta , written in 1967, is a witty parody of the complex operetta form which combines the theme of personal identity with a juxtaposition of both a capitalist and a Marxist society, making hilarious fun of both. The plot involves a materialistic count, an undercover Marxist revolutionary, a nude woman, and various courtiers and pickpockets. All the sparkle, glamour and glitter are associated with the best Viennese operettas.
Princess Ivona , first performed in 1938, is set against the backdrop of a dysfunctional royal court. Ivona, an unattractive and apathetic girl, finds herself entangled in the intrigues of the court, to which she finally falls victim. She is the only person who behaves consistently throughout, thus becoming, curiously, a stable point from which the Court's absurd and nonsensical behaviour can be seen as such.
The Marriage , written in 1946, uses a dream technique to explore the shifting relationship between reality and imagination. Henry, a young soldier during World War II, has a dream involving his parents, his sweetheart and his best friend. Henry's imagination attributes multiple roles to the cast of his dream - Father and King, Mother and Queen, Servant and Princess, Friend and Courtier. The character transformations illuminate the ways in which one's character and relationship to others is determined wholly through others' individual perception.
Operetta , written in 1967, is a witty parody of the complex operetta form which combines the theme of personal identity with a juxtaposition of both a capitalist and a Marxist society, making hilarious fun of both. The plot involves a materialistic count, an undercover Marxist revolutionary, a nude woman, and various courtiers and pickpockets. All the sparkle, glamour and glitter are associated with the best Viennese operettas.
- GenresDramaFictionLiterature
256 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1998
3 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Witold Gombrowicz
112 books1,029 followersGombrowicz 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 21, 2014
Uwielbiam Gombrowicza.
W utworach wszędzie przewija się wątek " homo-transcendentalis', Człowieka Przekraczającego, uciekającego przed formą i w formę wepchniętego.
W utworach wszędzie przewija się wątek " homo-transcendentalis', Człowieka Przekraczającego, uciekającego przed formą i w formę wepchniętego.
January 22, 2023
Przeczytałem! Gdy w głowie zaklasyfikuję jakąś książkę jako "ważną", to z reguły przeciągam jej przeczytanie w nieskończoność. Próbuję znaleźć chwilę, aby móc na spokojnie przeczytać książkę, aby porobić notatki, aby chłonąć to co przekazuje nam autor. I w konsekwencji taka pozycja czeka na swoją kolej długie miesiące, bo nigdy nie jest odpowiedni moment, by do niej wrócić.
W ramach walki z tym strasznym nawykiem skończyłem Dramaty Gombrowicza. I po raz kolejny przekonuję sie, że najlepsze jego dzieła zostały ominięte przez naszą szkolną edukację. Mnogość interpretacji, surrealizm zdarzeń, cudowna forma. Wszystkie te elementy powodują, że jego książki się chłonie, a nie czyta. Tak samo było z Dramatami.
W ramach walki z tym strasznym nawykiem skończyłem Dramaty Gombrowicza. I po raz kolejny przekonuję sie, że najlepsze jego dzieła zostały ominięte przez naszą szkolną edukację. Mnogość interpretacji, surrealizm zdarzeń, cudowna forma. Wszystkie te elementy powodują, że jego książki się chłonie, a nie czyta. Tak samo było z Dramatami.
October 27, 2024
gimnazjalna ja by nie uwierzyła jakby wiedziała, że dobrowolnie będę czytać utwory dramatyczne i będą mi sie podobać
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews