Professor Mmaa's Lecture

by Stefan Themerson, Bertrand Russell (Introduction)

“I recommend this book to the reader because it is massive, impressive, and grimly amusing. I cannot promise the reader that at any point he will shake his sides with laughter, but I can promise him a wry pleasure to be derived from the skilful dissection of folly.” Bertrand Russell


Professor Mmaa’s Lecture, given to a packed auditorium, deals with the habits, mentality and culture of Homo sapiens. But both the professor and his entire audience are termites; the whole story is set inside a termite mound.

Naturally, Themerson’s attempt to comprehend humankind by examining how they would have been understood by insects is very funny. Termites have no sight, just a sense of smell, and can only explain their surroundings and lives through their insects’ angle on the world. The closing scene of the novel reveals what the termites have been researching and what has happened to their mound, giving the whole story an ironic twist.

But this novel has much more to offer. Themerson’s heightened expertise and instinct for parodying the language and methods of scholarship, and the morals and manners of the academic world, produces a merciless and comical survey of philosophical views and attitudes. He pillories religion, language, reason and scholarship, as insect thinkers with suspiciously familiar names scuttle through the pages of the novel. A great many cases of dogmatic thinking and narrow-mindedness are exposed to ridicule. The only path that seems to earn the author’s approval is pluralism of ideas. You can see just why Bertrand Russell calls this novel a useful gospel for sceptics.

Professor Mmaa’s Lecture is in the tradition of philosophical satire, whose most famous proponents are Voltaire and Swift, and is a rare incidence of light yet deep prose that can be read with great pleasure on several levels.

Genres: Philosophy, Fiction, Poland, Polish Literature, Novels, 20th Century

342 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Stefan Themerson was a Polish, later British poet, novelist, film-maker, composer and philosopher.

Stefan Themerson was born in Plock (Poland) in 1910, the son of a doctor. He studied physics at the University of Warsaw and architecture at the Warsaw Polytechnic. In his twenties, Stefan became well-known in Poland as an author of children’s books.

Stefan got married in 1931 to Franciszka. Between 1931 and 1937, the Themersons made several experimental films and Stefan invented new techniques for photograms. 'Adventures of a Good Citizen' (1937) was the fifth and the last of their pre-war films and the only one that has survived.

The Themersons played a major role in the history of independent, experimental and pre-war cinema in Poland, their significance for the development of the Polish avant-garde film is enormous.

The Themersons moved to Paris in 1937, to be at the heart of the art world. Two days after the start of the Second World War Stefan and Franciszka volunteered for the Polish army. In 1940 Franciszka escaped by moving to London. Stefan served in the Polish army in France, ending up in a Polish Red Cross hostel in Voiron, 1940-42.

At this time Stefan wrote his first novel, Professor Mmaa’s Lecture. After two years of separation Stefan and Franciszka were reunited in London in 1942. They made two more films, 1942-44.

In 1948 the Themersons founded a publishing house: the Gaberbocchus Press. In 31 years they published over sixty titles, including works by Alfred Jarry, Kurt Schwitters and Bertrand Russell.

In 1953 Stefan’s Professor Mmaa’s Lecture was first published. It is still a classic in Poland.

Through the 60s and 70s, Stefan’s books were published by Gaberbocchus Press, for example philosophical novels, children’s books, poetry, essays and a libretto and music for an opera.

His books have been translated in eight languages.

He invented 'semantic poetry' which first appeared in his novel Bayamus (1949). It is a sort of poetry that prefers the matter-of-fact meanings of words in dictionary definitions to the romantic euphemism of poetic conventions.

Ethics, language, freedom, human dignity and the importance of good manners are the topics Stefan wrote about most.

His novels range from elaborate allegories to satirical thrillers. The humanitarian philosophy that underpins them all was crystallised in The Chair of Decency, a talk given as the Huizinga lecture in Leyden in 1981. It contrasted the innate sense of good with which man is born, with the impassioned pursuit of belief and causes by which he is subsequently deluded.

Reviews

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Mmaa is by nature a termite… He is a typical highbrow scholar…

The impartial chronicler can only note that Professor Mmaa was regarded as a sage by those who were regarded as quite clever by those who were regarded as slow on the uptake by those whom Professor Mmaa regarded as idiots. At the same time, however, he was regarded as a bit of a romantic by those who were regarded as mad by those who were regarded as cranks by those whom he himself declared to be genuine scientists.

And this renowned professor lectures his attentive termite students about the strange race of humans…

I remind you that in the homo society not only the king and queen but every individual possesses the capacity and the right to produce offspring. Consequently, in the genus homo there is an innumerable number of families, each of which has its own name.

From the professor’s lecture we learn so many new things not just about termites but about humans as well… Philosophical things… Cultural things… Termites are eusocial insects… And eusociality is the highest level of organization of sociality… Court intrigues are mockingly echoing Hamlet… Now we meet Dr. Sigismund Kraft-Durchfreud whose “professional training had skilled him in the analysis of mental states…” And he visits the queen…

The gynecologists, anointed with antiseptic mucus, stood in a long line, receiving the eggs as they were rhythmically delivered by the royal abdomen. The eggs were immediately counted by a representative of the Statistical Department, washed by nurses, thurified by a representative of the Cult, rolled by a representative of Culture, segregated by termitologists, and, under the tasteship of the Controller-General, distributed according to the specification of requirements received from the various ministries.

Nature, on discovering that termite society was so effective, created a society of humans on that model too… Termites and humans are so similar – they devour everything that stands in their way.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little review here: http://en.schwob-books.eu/book/40/pro...

Some page-pics:








I love all the little drawings of termites in this...makes me want to get hold of the kids books he did with his wife.

Anyway...so...

Very much in the Flatland/Gulliver tradition, though with extra logical positivism and philosophical fun and games.

A hell of a lot of fun, and completely nuts. The level of termite-ness he filters his sentences through is very impressive.

I really should write a proper review of this, as there is so little on it anywhere, but the review linked above and the pictures should be enough to let you know whether or not you should bother to hunt it down.

Personally I would advice all of you reading this to get one of his books currently kept in print by the wonderful Dalkey Archive and then, if you are impressed (and you will be, reader, you will be) then move on to this one.

Apparently he wrote one version of this novel in English and another in Polish. I wonder if the Polish one is still in print?

[edit: GR gives me an answer - Wykład Profesora Mmaa published in 2013 and with a very cool looking cover - get on it my Polish speaking friends!]

[Billie Tyrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heavy going book but very entertaining and amusing, it feels like a mix between Gulliver's Travels and Roald Dahl. Seems likes it's 100 years older than it actually is and that everyone should have heard of it by now, and that it should be in the WH Smith's Modern Classic section. Maybe because the idea seems quite obvious but at the same time it's not really been done to the same kind of length before.

[Ola Niedzielska]

Nie umiem tego ocenić. Głowa za mała jak sądzę

[Breaking_Bad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rzecz dzieje się w społeczności termitów, które prowadzą badania nad gatunkiem ssaka zwanym homo. Dzięki opracowaniu metody magazynowania wiedzy poprzez horyzontalne pożeranie książek oraz empiryczne badania na dwóch osobnikach - jednym martwym odkrytym pod piwnicą domu, a drugim pijanym znalezionym w lesie, ich wiedza jest imponująca, ale ciągle jeszcze daleka od całościowego poznania gatunku. Wątpliwości budzi np. sposób w jaki homo utrzymuje postawę pionową na dwóch kończynach: "Na horyzontalność bowiem homo zdobywa się jedynie w wielkich chwilach swego życia: po tzw. przyjściu na świat, w czasie dziwnego stanu regeneracji organizmu, która odbywa się u niego co dobę, w czasie kopulacji oraz po śmierci. Ów nieprawdopodobny upór, z jakim, poza wymienionymi okresami, homo trzyma się swojej pozycji pionowej, ma w sobie coś niepokojącego."
Jest nieco zarysowane tło społeczne termitów i wzrastające niezadowolenie z Macek Rządzących: "Tak, wszędzie, we wszystkich korytarzach, na wszystkich piętrach dawało się słyszeć wzbierającą tęsknotę za rządem Silnych Anten. Wszystko już jedno za jakim. Jakikolwiek, lecz obdarzony siłą, byłby lepszy od tej chwiejności dzisiejszej, od tej niezdecydowanej gadulskiej słabości, będącej źródłem wszelkich nieszczęść." Zaczyna dochodzić do niepokojących wydarzeń rozpoczętych sprawą pięćdziesięciu mamek, a następnie śmiercią królowej, która przestała znosić jaja, co natychmiast poskutkowało próbą osadzenia swojej królowej przez wrogie czarne mrówki.
"Wykład profesora Mmaa" w sporej części jest rewelacyjną lekturą. Jest to oczywiście alegoria ludzkości i książka przepełniona jest mnóstwem odniesień do filozofii, religii, czy psychoanalizy. W znacznej części tekst wydaje się jednak zbyt hermetyczny i przez to czasami słabo czytelny (przynajmniej dla mnie). Ma to jednak tę dobrą stronę, że zachęca do ponownej lektury i odczytania smaczków, które umknęły za pierwszym razem.

[Justyna Mastalerz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hell no

[eM eR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cudo!

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

takes place in a termite world. meaning: all the characters are termites. professor mmaa is a specialist in studying humans, or as the termite term goes: "homos." a sometimes uproarious send up of politics and academia. and yet though smart satire i'm not sure if satire functions (like this) anymore. but written by someone else of a different nationality at a different time, maybe this would've been an equivalent animal farm or gulliver who knows...

here's an example of the satire. big bug is the name of the termite ruler and this is a description of his opinion of sight, which is a sense most of the termites do not have:

"Big Bug's optics were practically nonexistent. He used to stress the fact when talking to abdomeners, and this boast made for his popularity among them. Then, when some ambassadors acquainted with the superficial world, tried to explain to him that [ants] called themselves 'black' because their exoskeletons absorbed all optic radiation and rejected none, he would ask: 'Then how can they possible see one another? Can they see the LACK of radiation or what? And, if so, what is it exactly that they mean by seeing? He never let it be known, but in his thorax he was convinced that the whole idea of 'seeing' was nothing more than a metaphysical invention, good to give the forebrows something to play with... 'Red' was another metaphysical notion he couldn't get a grip of and loathed. Then he was being told that 'red' gave one the impression of warmth, and that the setting sun was 'red,' he couldn't refrain from suspecting the philosophers of trying to cheat him. Why, for him a sunset was certainly cold and not warm, wasn't it exactly the time when it began to be chilly... When he was told that he was...'white' because he rejected all optic radiations, he answered: "Of course I reject them! I'm too busy for them phoolosophic speculations!" (p. 131)



from this first overlook edition i'm assuming it was written originally in english. no translation info on the copyright page. but was it?

ok i think it was... here's a bibliography.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of the stranger novels around. It is a bit like Brave New World, a bit like Flatland, a bit like Gulliver's Travels. I doubt if I caught all the puns and allusions. There are lots of cute little drawings of the main characters, all termites. The action begins with Professor Mmaa, a termite, giving a lecture on humans to other termites. The termites rely on smell rather than vision so sort things out. The academy has been investigating what humans they have come across, mostly buried ones, and the books they eat. They live in a world with rigid social roles determined by embryonic manipulation.

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mniej więcej do połowy tej książki zastanawiałam się, co ja właściwie czytam. Druga połowa była chyba dla mnie nieco łatwiejsza, bo przyzwyczaiłam się już do formy, a powieść z filozoficznego tekstu o termitach, a tak naprawdę o ludziach, stała się bardziej tekstem politycznym o termitach, a tak naprawdę o ludziach. Przy czym, jak się okazało, w rzeczywistości wciąż pozostała tekstem filozoficznym. Co wynikało z tej filozofii wciąż nie wiem, ale była dla mnie bardzo przygnębiająca. Może dlatego, że było w niej zbyt dużo prawdy o świecie. A może nie. Nie mam zielonego pojęcia. Szczerze mówiąc, wciąż nie wiem, co ja właściwie przeczytałam. Całkiem możliwe, że nie jest to ani tekst filozoficzny, ani polityczny. Uważam jednak, że jest to książka wyjątkowa i niepowtarzalna, cudowny absurd wylewa się z niej strugami, a ja kiedyś jeszcze będę musiała do niej wrócić i zobaczyć, czy będzie miała dla mnie trochę więcej sensu, czy raczej nie.

Nie oszukujmy się, raczej nie, ale wrócę i tak.

[Anna Gotowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wspaniała, ale o tej książce muszę jeszcze pomyśleć zanim coś napiszę. Małżeństwo Themersonów to wogóle mój nowy ludzki crush.

[edit]
Tak jak zazwyczaj nie kocham powiastek filozoficznych, bo cechują się zbyt grubymi nićmi szytą próbą wepchnięcia mi czegoś w gardło, tak tutaj (mimo że nie zawsze jest subtelnie) jestem kupiona. To jest coś szalonego: piękne, smutne, śmieszne, absurdalne, dziwaczne, chwytające za serce. Dostaje się każdemu właściwie, wnioski są dość porażająco smutne, ale jednocześnie jest w tym jakaś lekkość i absurd które pozwalają znieść to brutale rozliczenie z naszym gatunkiem. Nie jestem pewna czy zgadzam się z prof. Bralczykiem że jest to książka dla każdego (w sensie że każdy tam znajdzie coś dla siebie). Książkę można oczywiście czytać na różnych poziomach, ale są fragmenty które są dość ciężkostrawne, więc uznałabym jednak że jest to raczej pozycja dla amatorów. ALE NAPRAWDĘ WARTO.

[Bookeliaa]

Właściwie, to pozytywnie się zaskoczyłam.

[Kasper Piasecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dry, but a generally amusing Oulipo-esque novel about humans as viewed by termite academia.

[Ebony Earwig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept but found it very leaden and repetitive in places.