Góry Parnasu

by Czesław Miłosz

Góry Parnasu, niewydane dotychczas dzieło Czesława Miłosza, to nie tylko kolejny rozdział „wielkiej realistycznej powieści”, którą laureat Nagrody Nobla pisał przez całe życie. To także ewenement gatunkowy w jego twórczości – powieść science-fiction, a przy tym jeden z najważniejszych tekstów dotyczących kryzysu współczesnej cywilizacji. Ukazuje świat zatomizowanych jednostek, pogrążonych w obsesyjnym „zabijaniu czasu”, bez zdolności do empatii, a nawet wzajemnej komunikacji idei. Zarządzani przez technokratyczną kastę uprzywilejowanych, bohaterowie miotają się między konformizmem pozbawionej sensu konsumpcji, nihilistycznym terrorem a samobójstwem.

Pisana w końcu lat 60. powieść ukazuje apokaliptyczny świat przyszłości, która właśnie staje się teraźniejszością – science-fiction „chwyta rzeczywistość” trafniej i bardziej wnikliwie niż niejedna tradycyjna powieść społeczna czy polityczna. Autobiograficzne aluzje i liczne odniesienia do epoki (od Freuda i Herberta Marcuse, przez rewoltę roku 1968 aż po kościelne aggiornamento i Jana XXIII) składają się na gorzki, utrzymany w duchu Huxley'owskiego Nowego wspaniałego świata raport ze stanu naszej cywilizacji. W poczuciu kryzysu powieściowej formy w XX wieku, Miłosz świadomie i celowo nie ukończył swego dzieła. Pozostawił nam jednak otwarte pytanie o możliwość świata lepszego niż jest – i nadzieję, że możliwa jest wiara w świecie bez Boga. Wiara w samą możliwość – w coś, czego nie ma, ale stać się może.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Polish Literature, Literature

141 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Czesław Miłosz was a Nobel Prize winning poet and author of Polish-Lithuanian heritage. He memorialised his Lithuanian childhood in a 1955 novel, The Issa Valley , and in the 1959 memoir Native Realm . After graduating from Sigismund Augustus Gymnasium in Vilnius, he studied law at Stefan Batory University and in 1931 he travelled to Paris, where he was influenced by his distant cousin Oscar Milosz, a French poet of Lithuanian descent and a Swedenborgian. His first volume of poetry was published in 1934.

After receiving his law degree that year, he again spent a year in Paris on a fellowship. Upon returning, he worked as a commentator at Radio Wilno, but was dismissed, an action described as stemming from either his leftist views or for views overly sympathetic to Lithuania. Miłosz wrote all his poetry, fiction, and essays in Polish and translated the Old Testament Psalms into Polish.

Awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature for being an author "who with uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man's exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts."

Reviews

[Althea Ann]

No rating, as this is not a finished work, and it was never intended for publication.

This is not to say that I object to its publication - in general, I come down on the side of archival papers of notable historical figures and writers being open to public perusal. Milosz is certainly notable both historically and as a writer, so I'm glad that this material has been translated and is now available to English-speaking students of history and literature, as well as any other interested parties.

However, marketing this as an unfinished science fiction novel is a bit of an exaggeration. It's more like a few bits and ideas and scraps of background information and themes that might've been been used to start on a dystopian science fiction novel, if the author had decided to write it (he decided against it; this publication also includes his notes on why.)

There are some thoughts on the future, on society, rather a lot on religion (and its perceived decline). A few character sketches, but nothing to link them together, and no hint of a proposed plot.

Undoubtedly interesting to those who want to delve into Milosz' thoughts and themes, but I wouldn't suggest this as a place to start introducing oneself to the Nobel Prize-winning writer.

Many thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are unaffected by the source of the book.

[Marko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Planine Parnasa - Science Fiction - od Česlava Miloša je prethodne godine objavljena u Srbiji od strane Lagune.

It's not good. 2 zvezdice jer nije Alhemičar, ali je prva knjiga koje ću vratiti nazad u knjižaru jer sam srećom sačuvao račun.

[Ian Meier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that you really need to be wide awake to appreciate the contents. Its weird, strange and very good. I'm glad that its not a fleshed out story and was only random chapters that obviously were extremely deliberate. I will admit I wasn't super into the religious examinations in the book, but they were great as well. "An Astronaut's Tale" has got to be one of my favorite chapters from a book ever, and it can exist completely on its own. I'll have to remember to come back to it, but I fear I won't remember.

"If I didn't share my thoughts with anybody, it was not because they seemed incompatible with my convictions, for they weren't. It was just that I hadn't been taught any language in which they could be expressed, so that they weren't so much thoughts as quarter-thoughts." p. 91

"A few years after my departure on the Sardion expedition, they had committed suicide together, and in the note they left behind they wrote a joint decision prompted by 'the senselessness of everything.'" p. 110

"Like Hauki, I simply felt 'the senselessness of it all.' You might call it a desire for death. But no, I consented only to the sands trickling through the hourglass, to the inner turmoil that artificially cultivated virtues could never conceal, to the thoughtlessness of the young Felisa, to the shared lot of the children of Adam." p. 116

The senselessness of it all, now that's a doozy

[Aron Kerpel-Fronius · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unfinished work of the genius Czesław Milosz. Some beautiful paragraphs and thought-provoking sections - but generally without the necessary coherence to be thoroughly enjoyable. Glad this has now been published in English.

[Vladimir Bunic · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you want to understand this writer a bit better, you should read more of his work. For me, this book was not that good of an experience and hard for reading and understanding. There are some good points about where humanity is going, but nothing more than that.

[Jacob Binder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although The Mountains of Parnassus is a purposefully unfinished attempt at a novel and never meant to be published, I thought I might enjoy Milosz's captivating prose and sharp wit as applied to the genre of a science fiction novel. Unfortunately, there's not much to praise here. The characters all have the same voice - that of Milosz himself - which leaves them flat on the page. The themes that Milosz attempts to explore - the decline of faith and the degeneration of art - read as preachy and hollow. Frankly, I would not recommend.

[Old Man JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion Milosz has to be one of the finest writers of all time but his talent was in poetry and essay and not fiction. This is a science fiction book that was published after his death that really reveals that fact. When he submitted it to his publisher he was told that it was "not a very successful attempt at a novel" which I agree with and he himself said in the introductory remarks that this was "a science fiction book that will never be written" which was his way of saying it would never be published. I'm only aware of two other attempts at fiction by Milosz, "The Issa Valley" a beautifully told story of a boy growing up in the Issa Valley that I suspect was more of a memoir of his youth than an actual fictional story and "The Siezure of Power" which was set in the period where German occupation was giving way to the Soviets in Poland. Both of these books were better than "The Mountains of Parnassus" which seemed to lack any conviction or passion and was left unfinished by Milosz because I don't think he felt any connection to it. Anyone looking for an outstanding read should stick to Milosz's poetry and essays and avoid this book because this is not a true reflection of his enormous talent.

[Dijana Čop Nešić · Rating 2 out of 5]

''Svaka biološka vrsta ,previše razmnožena, izlaže se opasnosti od degeneracije i nestanka.''
Tom rečenicom bih, ujedno i definisala ovu neobičnu antitezu utopije . Zavisno iz kog ugla gledate na ovaj prozni roman, tako ga možete i oceniti. U pitanju jeste fikcija, budućnost planete i raspad njenog čovečanstva, po etapama, od moralnog, do ekonomskog pa na kraju i smislenog. Jedan ugao gledanja na nju jeste satira kakvoj bi Saramago pružio ruku, drugi ugao gledanja jeste svojevrstan kratak imaginarni ali i filozofski put čoveka po imenu Karel, koji gubi smisao postojanja i preispituje sadašnjost koja je smeštena u dalekoj budućnosti, a nije ni malo svetla.
Za deskripciju i izvanredan opus dotaknutih tema, dala bih veliku peticu, kao i za istančanost preispitivanja unutrašnjosti jednog čoveka. Medjutim roman nema početak niti određeni kraj, ne prati tok događaja već je skup razbacanih misli, a njemu u prilog ide i to što nas pisac upozorava da je ovako nešto bio nespreman da objavi.
Planine sa tri vrha simbolično su mesto ''događaja'' radnje, ali se ranja dotiče saveza Astronoma, kao i društva koje ljude sprečava da izgube život. Populacija je prevazišla očekivan broj ljudi, religija služi samo za filozofsko polemisanje i podsmevanje, takodje i edukovan čovek više nije posmatran kao opasnost već pijun u sistemu, školovanje je drugačije i ceo svetski poredak poražavajuće tone.
Ako ništa drugo, ovo nije knjiga kojoj možete da aplaudirate koliko je tu da ona vas ošamari i prizove neke bitne i krucijalne misli o svetu ka kom srljamo, ili ti, u koji smo već zakoračili stmoglavo uranjajući u grešku do greške, dok na kraju kao celokupno čovečanstvo ne potpišemo sopstvenu kapitulaciju. Ali, kapitulaciju pred opstankom, u kojoj definitivno poraz osvaja pobedu.

[D]

Feels unfair to give rating as it seems the author did not intend to publish as it is.

Certainly engaging at times, well written at times and some interesting ideas. Also, the cover art is mesmerising!

I don't really come away with anything concrete (though some scenes and ideas do stick in my mind) and did find some passages tricky to understand. A bit disjointed and not really a novel. Though this is no criticism of the author as it was not a finished work.

Would have been cool to see what it would have turned out as if really reworked and 'complete'!

One erotic scene I found very powerful. 'Meaninglessness' is also interesting to me as it is very relatable. I can't recall exact wording, something about dystopian fiction being immoral? This is very interesting. The book 'Crash' (JG Ballard) is one that really lingers in me, I found it so morbid, depressing, bleak and disturbing. Is this really of benefit to me in my life? Maybe so, I'm not sure. I sometimes question why I am reading fiction. It seems compulsive and attachment based. But then it gives my life meaning and fulfillment.

[Jack Deighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

My knowledge of Polish SF has heretofore begun and ended with the works of Stanisław Lem. I saw this book as a welcome opportunity to rectify that. However, Miłosz made his reputation as a poet and essayist - as cited in his Nobel Prize - and this unfinished work (deliberately unfinished, the translator’s introduction tells us) is, as far as I can tell, his only attempt at an SF novel. Miłosz apparently had doubts about the viability of the novel as a form, though he considered SF’s realist conventions as the most promising vehicle for it even if “Science Fiction has mainly consisted of gloomy prophecies.” In his Introductory Remarks to the novel he says will “never be written” he notes that his depiction of two female characters “who do not appear in the pages printed here” made him shrink from the “horror” of writing a “novel from life.” Since “literature always fares awkwardly when it strives to depict good people and good intentions,” he describes what lies in front of us as artistically dubious and immoral. So much for fiction, then.

The book as a whole seems designed more for the academic than general reader with its Translator’s Introduction plus Note (both complete with references) emphasising Poland’s highly literary tradition of SF writing and Milosz’s view of SF as akin to scripture in its use of the past tense to describe future events. Correspondingly the “novel”’s latter parts are steeped in Catholicism. The style is discursive, its six sections reading more like essays than a conventional narrative. Strewn throughout them are nuggets allowing us to glean the outlines of society plus references to powerful groups of various sorts; the Botanists’ and Astronauts’ Unions, the Arsonists’ Association. There is no dialogue; unless you count the Mass of the Catechumens in the Appendix.

A description of the Mountains of Parnassus, supposedly kept in a state of wilderness, is written almost like a gazetteer. Their visitors exist in “an Earth without fatherhood” and strive to become their own fathers. A general atmosphere of ennui (avoiding “killing time” via the M37 current or erotic games, which prove unsatisfactory palliatives) leads a character called Karel to play Russian Roulette. His survival and altered mental state lends him immunity to the activities of an organisation known as The Higher Brethren of Nirvana which has begun to cull humans to prevent degeneration and extinction, its victims simply disappearing, each “losing its unitary quality in a single moment” with no one knowing the criteria for selection.

There follows an adumbration of the theories of Professor Motohiro Nakao which overturned the practice whereby “long ago the more energetic rulers had made the strange assumption that the minds of the ruled were a threat if they could not be convinced by persuasion or fear.” Data collection of “tracks” of perception can identify any which may be harmful to the rational social order defended by the Astronauts. This leads to Cocooning, interfering with the ability to communicate by slowing or accelerating the speed of a person’s thoughts thus denying access to those of others.

The “Cardinal’s Testament” of Petro Vallerg, all but the last celibate, finds him struggling to understand the thinking behind John XXIII’s aggiornamento in calling the Second Vatican Council, as it caused a rotting structure to collapse by attempting to refurbish it. Vallerg recognises the Church’s failings, where ritual has petrified into form, but “if the Church had not used the stake and the sword of obedient monarchs in the critical thirteenth century, little would have remained of Christianity,” and “no purely human institution similarly depraved could have survived,” but bemoans “the shame that induced us to reject the relative good simply because it was relative” and that the numinous has been reduced to metaphor and figures of speech.

Lino Martinez, member of the elite Astronauts’ Union, whose perk for risking their lives on humanity’s behalf is monthly longevity treatments, is never the absolutely perfect Astronaut and finding desires, passions, betrayals and faults reduced to miniature dimensions and the effects of time dilation disturbing, he deserts, to expose himself to time.

An Appendix: Ephraim’s Liturgy looks back to when inhabitants of Earth were allowed to run wild as educating them would be too difficult; “the petty and insignificant became great and significant”; a guaranteed small income allowed anyone who wished, to be an artist (but structuralism destroyed any hope of immortality thereby, rendered works indistinguishable) and the promise of communication had led to its negation. Ephraim therefore believed speech could be imparted only by ritual.

It’s all undeniably intellectual, almost Stapledonian but lacking the extraordinary timescale and perspective. I doubt it’s representative of Polish SF, of anything but Miłosz himself.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Unfinished" is probably an understatement here, this is essentially a few chapters loosely associated in theme that may have eventually been part of a sprawling dystopian sci-fi work. "An Astronaut's Tale" is the only really overt sci-fi chapter and is a standout for me due to its trippy philosophical themes on eternal life and interstellar travel. I may regret that this was my first Milosz since it almost certainly doesn't reflect his other work, but I am still satisfied that I read it.

[Cate Triola · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was lovely, but without a plot, I just couldn't get through it.

[Tiffany Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting philosophy

Not a science fiction tale per se, but a collection of philosophy, ideas, and most importantly, what it means to be human.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up purely based on the cover. Has some very interesting parts in it. The chapter from the p.o.v. of the cardinal was pretty mediocre and obstruse, much like the sermon.

[Natasa Sears · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I would write a review. But I have nothing.

[Ben Clemens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I poetic version of Orwell's '1984'. Each line is packed with significance.
Milosz's casual assembly of the book gives it a natural feeling
of a found work.

[Audreyx · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a strange book

[Laura Newsholme · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is important to first clarify that this work is unfinished, which goes a long way to explain the fragmentary nature of the narrative. Indeed, it seems inaccurate to call the prose 'narrative' as there is very little structure or plotting. Instead what we have, is one writer creating a philosophical treatise about his dark feelings toward the future of civilization. The book is bleak in this regard. The prose, however, is fascinating and challenging. Given that this is a translation from the Polish original, some credit should be given to the translator. Milosz was a prize winning poet, so you would expect a lyrical quality to the prose, but in fact, it is economical and straightforward. Perhaps my favourite episode deals with the journey of an astronaut at 99.5% of light speed. This is the most clean cut science fiction present in the novel. It is a truly thought provoking read, but I'm not sure whether I would place it in the fiction section!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quality of the writing in this book is excellent. Milosz has set some feelings in words in a very touching way. Some of the characters were easier to relate to than others, and their stories combined well to form the novel. It is a quick read, more of a novella that can be read in a few hours. The text is thought provoking and considering when it was originally written, brings to mind the foresight seen in the writing of Ira Levin.

Published in Polish in 2012, The Mountains of Parnassus was completed by Nobel Prize winner Milosz in the early 1970's. Though the novel is classified as science fiction, it is dystopian fiction and currently quite applicable. The book is broken into seven sections and introduces the reader to four distinct characters: an astronaut, a cardinal, an exiled man and a struggling man. Each character has a very different story, which allows for wider reader appeal.

[El Juanito · Rating 3 out of 5]

i give it a 3 because it isn't really a book, more like a few vaguely related narrations put together. but the prose is quite good, and there are some nice explorations of various themes, not just scifi. also it's a quick read. it's a nice read as an experiment, but don't go in expecting an actual book

[Margaret]

This book is really hard to read....After 20 pages or so I'm still not sure what it is about so I have put it aside for a bit....

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this book 3 times now. It’s short. (Yes, it’s unfinished). It’s excellent.

[World Literature Today]

“...The Mountains of Parnassus tells us something about Miłosz caught in divergent currents of political and social change sweeping across California in the late 1960s. Forces of totalitarianism and religion wrestle for the control of the hearts and minds of four characters—Karel, a young rebel; Lino, an astronaut; Petro, a cardinal; and Ephraim, an exiled prophet—in an unrelenting vision of a dystopian future. While railing against various isms as well as the risks of unmitigated technological progress and the diminished role of the arts in society, Miłosz comes closest to his greatest achievements as a poet and essayist elsewhere.” - Piotr Florczyk

This book was reviewed in the January/February 2017 issue of World Literature Today magazine. Read the full review by visiting our website:

https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/...

[Ivana]

Hm. Čitala sam srpski prevod, u izdanju Lagune, i tu na koricama piše da je u pitanju roman. A nije. Ovo su fragmenti nedovršenog dela, i to dela za koje se sam pisac opredelio da ga nikad ne završi. Plus neke beleške. Plus beleške izdavača.

Ako proučavate delo ovog autora, ovo je dobar propratni materijal. Al' da je roman, nije.