Порнографія

by Witold Gombrowicz, Вітольд Ґомбрович, Олександр Гриценко (Translator)

Це один із найпопулярніших романів відомого польського письменника і драматурга Вітольда Ґомбровича. Дія роману відбувається у Польщі за часів Другої світової війни, проте історичні реалії – лише тло для захопливого сюжету з елементами криміналу і любові. В центрі подій - двоє варшавських інтелектуалів, що помандрували до сільської місцевості, ховаючись од війни, і зустріли там двох молодих закоханих, які, на їхню думку, ідеально пасують один одному, проте ще не осягнули цього вповні.

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

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1960

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

[Meike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's clarify one thing right away: This classic Polish novel is not at all pornographic - nevertheless, the author has long been perceived as scandalous in his home country. Gombrowicz was born into Polish nobility and studied law, but then chose to live as a bohemian and to travel extensively. When WW II broke out, he was staying in Argentina, originally for only two weeks, but he never saw Poland again. In his far-away home, his stance for individualism and against Polish collectivism, nationalism and Romanticism was not exactly appreciated, and he was only published abroad for many years. Still, he became influential for the works of peers like Julio Cortázar and Roberto Bolaño.

In "Pornografia", two older business partners from the city plot to make two 16-year-old teenagers from the countryside fall in love as some kind of sick experiment; the situation gets out of control and the two men decide to gaslight the kids into murdering a resistance fighter. This whole psychological clusterfuck takes place during WW II and is told from the narrow perspective of narrator "Witold Gombrowciz" (remember: the real one was in Agentina at the time). Communication between the two men often seems dominated by dream-logic and it remains unclear what the teenagers do in secret, what they do because they are prompted by the older men, and what they do by their own volition. The real situation of the resistance fighter also remains dubious: The whole text operates on factual inscurity and psychological questioning.

Gombrowicz' novels often ponder the human longing for perfection, duty, and morality against the equally human longing for the imperfct, the boundless, the amoral, and he illustrates this dilemma by discussing what it means to be young vs. what it means to be old. The compensation techniques used by the old to sublimate their primal urges is what he refers to when calling his novel "pornography". In the book, the old aim to corrupt the young while a war is raging.

The writing is very subtle, full of ellipses and psychological ruminations, and details that appear mundane suddenly acquire significance. It's a satiric anti-novel that challenges readers to re-think the defintion of (moral) obscenity, and it stands in the tradition of Les Liaisons dangereuses or Histoire de l'œil.

I first saw the book on Better Than Food Book Reviews, and now there'll also be a new translation with the publisher of Olga Tokarczuk's German-language editions (Pornographie). I think I need to read more Gombrowicz.

[Tijana]

Počnimo izjavom kako je ovo, eto, Gombrovičeva knjiga, a Gombrovič je autor moje možda najdraže rečenice o odnosu prema knjigama (i životu) od svih rečenica o odnosima prema knjigama (i životu) na celome svetu:

Profesor: - Kako te to ne oduševljava, Galkjeviču, jesam li ti hiljadu puta objašnjavao da te oduševljava.
Galkjevič (rezignirano): - Ali to mene ne oduševljava.

A inače: pa eto, tipičan Gombrovič. Crni humor, bizarni humor, parodiranje književnih tradicija, parodiranje psihološke analize na kilo, perverzija specijalne vrste na pola puta između voajerstva i rediteljske tehnike Majka Lija, fetiš prema nevinosti (ali specijalnoj perverznoj nevinosti moliću) i stalno izvlačenje tepiha ispod nogu čitaočevih. Ko voli, voleće, ko ne voli nek se i ne trudi da se oduševljava ;)

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gombrowicz has never failed to amaze me. While this book is not quite on the same level as Ferdydurke, it is still stunning. Like Ferydurke, the themes of "youth" and "maturity" are still highly prevalent and key to the novel, but here these themes are regarded in a completely different fashion. With Pornografia, he shows the power held in youth and his disgust for his fellow "grown man" as two adults toy with the lives of two teenagers, pushing them to act in subtle ways as if they were trying to adjust the world so that it could be examined for a sort of literary significance. To attach any labels to this book is difficult, as calling it exactly what it is, such as a "sensual psychological thriller", would cheapen the novel and would essentially misrepresent it. This novel is smart on many levels and gives a constant over-analyzation of literally every motion and event. Gombrowicz assaults you with his insightfully poetic prose, examining the tiniest details of a characters actions to extract the true essence within them. It is easy to see that he was soaringly intelligent, yet this doesn't come across as overbearing and he never talks down to the reader. Instead, he politely lowers you a rope and gracefully pulls you up into his mind so you can have a look around and share in his brilliant deductions of humanity. Bravo Gombrowicz.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books about the duplicity of this lifeless journey, where a man is riding to church as if he were actually riding to church when of course he is not even he and he is definitely not riding to church. Fryderyk is probably France and people watch simple pastoral settings but it's all about Poland before and during the Second World War. So it's fun for awhile trying to figure out what the names mean and who's Chamberlain, who's Hitler. Then it's not so much fun anymore.

This could be a masterpiece and I'm not saying it's not. It's probably my fault or just the wrong time for me.

I remember when computers were new and it was compulsory to try clever games. I got that game Myst. Cool music; fun finding the clues. But then one child drifted away, then another. I realized the game was all about finding the clues. Find one, you had to find another. I eventually set it aside, but never got back to it. How ephemeral the excitement can be. This was like that.

[Bonadext · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gombrowicz è considerato il più grande scrittore polacco del 900 (insieme a Bruno Schulz), e questa "Pornografia" (il titolo è ironico) è la prima opera che leggo dell'autore.
Sono rimasto subito colpito dal suo stile, una scrittura semplice e di facile lettura, ma sempre molto originale e direi anche moderna. La storia è semplice, è una storia di campagna, grottesca, disuguale nei suoi enigmi, molto dostoevskiana (tanto mi ha ricordato l'autore russo), ruota tutta attorno a due signori di mezz'età che vengono travolti da una smania di bellezza accesa da due giovani adolescenti (ragazzo con ragazza) che prenderà una piega folle e scaturirà nel delittuoso...
Non è un libro ne filosofico ne psicologico, è un libro metafisico, è una visione poetica fatta di introspezione umana.
Io ne sono rimasto completamente folgorato e ritengo che questo sia un libro assolutamente da leggere dove ognuno può scoprire la bellezza che si cela dietro a una trama semplice che diverte nella sua follia, ma una follia che affascina, dietro le sue molteplici verità.

"Un amico scrittore m'aveva chiesto quale fosse il significato filosofico di Pornografia. Risposi: Cercherò di essere il più chiaro possibile. Come si sa, l'uomo tende all'assoluto. Verso la pienezza. Verso la verità assoluta, verso Dio, verso la piena maturità... L'imperativo che lo guida è: comprendere tutto, realizzarsi pienamente. In Pornografia invece appare un altro obiettivo che guida l'azione dell'uomo: esso è diverso, più segreto forse e più clandestino, è il suo bisogno della Non-pienezza... della Non-perfezione... della Mediocrità... della Giovinezza..." Witold Gombrowicz

[verbava · Rating 4 out of 5]

"порнографія" – то з найцнотливіших книжок, які я останнім часом читала, і водночас із найперверзійніших (чого, мабуть, і планував досягти гомбрович).

[Dagio_maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

“un romanzo sensualmente metafisico”

Varsavia 1943.
Mentre in tutta Europa infuria la guerra, un gruppo di artisti cerca di far sopravvivere minimi spazi di libertà:

” Ancora mi pare di vederli, seduti o semisdraiati in una nube di fumo, uno un po’ scheletrito, l’altro un po’ acciaccato, ma tutti urlanti e sbraitanti a più non posso. Uno che grida: “Dio!”, l’altro: “Arte!”, il terzo: “Nazione!”, un quarto: “Proletariato!” e giù a discutere come pazzi, sempre la stessa solfa: Dio, l’arte, la nazione, il proletariato; finché un bel giorno ecco arrivare un tipo di mezz’età, magro, olivastro, il naso a becco. “


Chi parla è Witold: lo scrittore stesso che si fa voce narrante.
Nel gruppo arriva Federico e i due, ben presto, fanno amicizia e si mettono insieme in affari.
Invitati dal signor Ippolito nella casa di campagna fanno conoscenza con la figlia Enrichetta e il coetaneo Carlo, figlio del fattore.
L’incontro con i due adolescenti innesca, da subito, una carica erotica che ossessiona i due attempati signori.
Entrambi sono stuzzicati da ciò che in realtà non accade ma solo loro riescono e vogliono vedere, ossia una spudorata attrazione sessuale tra i due ragazzi.
Inizia così un gioco delle parti che evolve in modo inaspettato.

Pubblicato a Parigi nel 1960, in Italia fu edito (nello stesso anno) da Bompiani con il titolo “La seduzione”.
La trasformazione del titolo avvenne con il beneplacito dell’autore che si mostrò indulgente verso quel morbo bigotto così diffuso nel Bel Paese (” “Sono ragionevole su queste cose: mi hanno spiegato che una signorina italiana si vergognerebbe di chiedere la Pornografia in libreria”).
Ma consoliamoci, comunque, perchè in Polonia – suo paese natale- fu pubblicato solo nel 1986!!!

Il titolo è comunque una provocazione; perché se è vero che l’impianto si basa su un’attrazione erotica, il fulcro sta in un concetto meno contingente.
Ciò che mette in campo, infatti è "l’adultità" (si dice, si dice…) vs la giovinezza.
Da una parte c’è l’adulto con il suo essere già definito, dall’altra il giovane che è di per sé non formato, dunque imperfetto. L’adulto tende, d’altro canto, a riconquistare questa incompiutezza perché in essa si custodisce tutto il potenziale dell’esistere.
Nell’introduzione alla prima edizione francese, Gombrovicz spiega proprio che nella sua visione la formula «l’Uomo vuole essere Dio» espressa dall’esistenzialismo va sostituita con un’affermazione più spudorata, ossia: ” l’Uomo vuole essere Giovane” .

Un pensiero che nel romanzo, comunque, è sotteso e che, pertanto, ne fa una lettura priva di pesantezza da pamphlet filosofico; anzi, direi che il marcato sarcasmo che serpeggia tra le righe fa scorrere piacevolmente le pagine.
Certo, se avessi incontrato questi due signorotti tra le righe di un articolo di cronaca citati per il perverso voyerismo che li contraddistingue, probabilmente avrei girato pagina schifata(bigotta anch'io?!?!).
Qui non è stato così perché non c’è dubbio alcuno che questa è Letteratura!

A mo’ di esempio:

“Quel tanfo acido… Il ben noto, sempiterno strazio del viaggiare in treno: la linea dei fili telegrafici o dei fossati” che sale e ricade, l’irrompere improvviso di un albero, di un palo, di un casotto davanti al finestrino, il guizzo fulmineo all’indietro, lo slittar via di ogni cosa… mentre laggiù lontano all’orizzonte una ciminiera, una collina… sorgevano e lungamente persistevano ostinate, come l’ansia principale, l’ansia dominante… finché non scivolavano nel nulla con un giro lento. Federico mi stava davanti, due teste più in là, ma la sua era vicinissima, la distinguevo perfettamente. Taceva e viaggiava, e la presenza di tutti quei corpi estranei straripanti, brulicanti, opprimenti non faceva che accentuare la nostra intimità… senza bisogno di parlare… a tal punto che, quant’è vero Iddio, avrei preferito non essere mai partito e che quel progetto di viaggio a due noti si fosse mai realizzato! Nella sua corporeità, difatti, egli non era altro che un corpo in più tra gli altri corpi… e tuttavia esisteva… esisteva in quel suo modo diverso ma inesorabile… Era un dato di fatto ineludibile. Impossibile ignorarlo, rimuoverlo, abolirlo: lui in quella calca c’era, eccome se c’era… E il suo viaggio, la sua corsa nello spazio non avevano niente a che fare con il viaggio di quelli là: il suo era un viaggio molto più significativo, anzi, forse addirittura pericoloso…”


PS- Un ringraziamento a @Bonadext che mi ha consigliato il libro e stuzzicato la curiosità con il suo commento!

[Jolanta (knygupė) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

Erotika+filosofija=WG "Pornografija"

INFORMACIJA [iš pirmo puslapio]

"Pornografijos" veiksmas vyksta karo metu Lenkijoje. Kodėl? Iš dalies todėl, kad karo klimatas jam pats tinkamiausias. Iš dalies, kad tai vis dėlto lenkiška - ir pradžioje gal net buvo sumanyta nelyginant pigus Rodziewicownos ar Zarzyckos tipo romanas (ar vėliau, rengiant rankraštį, tas panašumas dingo?). O iš dalies iš užsispyrimo - įpiršti tautai mintį, kad, be tų... apibrėžtų teoriškai, jos gelmėse esama ir kitokių konfliktų, dramų, idėjų.
Tos karo metų Lenkijos nepažįstu. Nebuvau ten tuomet. Apskritai Lenkijos nuo 1939 m. nesu matęs. Aprašiau taip, kaip įsivaizduoju. Taigi tai mano vaizduotės Lenkija - ir nesisielokite, jei kur suklysta ar sufantazuota, nes ne tai svarbiausia, ir čia vykstantiems dalykams tai neturi jokios reikšmės.
Dar viena. Su "Armija Krajova" susijusiame motyve (antoje dalyje) tegul niekas nebando ieškoti kritinių ar ironiškų intencijų. AK gali neabejoti, kad aš ją gerbiu. Sugalvojau tą situaciją - kuri būtų galėjusi susiklostyti bet kokioje pogrindžio organizacijoje - kadangi to reikalavo kompozicija ir knygos dvasia, šia prasme truputį melodramiška. AK ar ne AK, žmonės yra žmonės - visur gali pasitaikytibailys vadas arba konspiracijos padiktuota žmogžudystė.
W. G.

Kažkodėl manau, jog nemėgstant ar nejaučiant to specifinio Gombrowicziško humoro jausmo jo kūryba gali net erzinti. Man jis - vienas iš mylimiausių. Po jo reikia atsargia rinktis ką skaityt.

Beje, 2003 m. buvo sukurta lenkų-prancūzų šio romano ekranizacija tuo pačiu pavadinimu. Režisierius - Jan Jakub Kolski. Gal kas matėt?

[MihaElla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a different work, versus previously read novels by same writer, yet vastly entertaining, and has been meat and drink to me for the last couple of long evenings. His manner is brisk and determined, and the choice of words quite plentiful. I found the Romanian translation very satisfactory, which allowed me to taste the vigour with which the writer set about the task of his narrative. Neither plot, intrigue, nor development have any 'pornographic' features, hope it won't bother others, yet I felt the author, maybe even the same with one of male chief characters, is possessed by a demoniac energy, bending ideas and bringing into the talk with his other male chief character, overall two, other thoughts than those which he expresses. Hence arise occassional bizzare moments, although not unfair for his companions. The drama, and not the philosophy, of life is the sphere of their pragmatic actions and intelectual activity. In the end they do not pursue truth but desire the satisfaction of destruction. Not a noble ideal but purely human for them.

[Ben Winch · Rating 5 out of 5]

An off-the-wall classic, part war thriller, part philosophical enquiry, written by a Polish emigre living in Argentina in 1960 who had arrrived on a cruise ship 20 years earlier and when the Second World War broke out decided not to go back, Pornografia has a deliciously unreal element to it. From the first page (one of the most arresting I know of in literature) this is theatrical, but with the atmosphere and three dimensions that only a novel can supply. The plot is bizarre: two ageing intellectuals (one of them Gombrowicz) are on a country retreat at a friend's (or is it a business associate's?) manor in the Polish countryside. Strange things are afoot: the forests seem to exhale a whiff of intrigue. The two men are picked up at the station by a handsome young farmboy in a carriage, and from then on all else is secondary to their delight in this young boy and in a young girl (their host's daughter? — it’s a while since I've read it) with whom he seems perfectly matched. The book revolves around their attempts to trigger the seduction of one child by the other. No matter that a Polish soldier has come to stay, that the war has stepped foot into the very house where they play this game...

As I say, it's a while since I've read it, but in my twenties this was a big book for me. The paperback edition, by Marion Boyars, is starkly beautiful. The writing is energetic and unique. Sentences stop in mid-flow with three dots, the prose accelerates; we seem to be right beside Gombrowicz as he pounds at the typewriter. Only in Hubert Selby have I read an author who so made me imagine his typewriter, but in Selby's case it detracted; here it is almost magical - so this is what's possible!

In the fifties in Paris Gombrowicz was known for his diary. In his youth in Warsaw in the thirties he was infamous for the satirical Ferdydurke, a novel no doubt ahead of its time but which I admit I have never finished. For me, Gombrowicz will always be the author of Pornografia. An all-time favourite, a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

(FOOTNOTE, a few months later... I can't believe I didn't realise this. This edition was translated from the French translation, and a direct Polish-English translation was published for the first time (by Grove Press, with the same cover) in 2009! I mean, wow! Nigh on fifty years to publish a proper translation?! Truth is, I’m almost scared to read it.)

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no mention in "La Pornographie" of the Majdanek extermination camp where 78,000 Poles including 59,000 Jews were killed between 1942 and 1944 despite the fact that the action of the novel takes place in Sandomierz a mere 125 kilometres away in 1943 while the camp is at the height of its activity. The Armia Krajowa (Poland's principal resistance group with a force of 400,000) is mentioned but its members are presented as buffoons. In Gombrowicz's view Polish history was a melodrama not a tragedy. Surprisingly Gombrowicz is very highly regarded today in Poland.

The novel is about pornography to the extent the two major protagonists Witold and his doppelganger Frederic seek to achieve fulfillment by attempting to manipulate the lives of two adolescents Henia and Karol. The fail at their prime objective which is to push the two into a sexual relationship. However, a new opportunity for diversion occurs when a rogue member in of the Armia Krajowa in flight from his unit arrives at the country estate where the main characters live. The superiors of the Armia Krajowa order the estate owner to kill the deserter. None of the adults are prepared to accept the responsibility so Witold and Frederic ask Karol and Henia do it. This time the two teenagers comply and quickly move to perform the act.

According to Gombrowicz "La Pornographie" provides the clearest statement of the dominant theme of his career which is that society imposes roles on its members. In Ferdydurke Gombrowicz shows society imposing immaturity on the young. In "La Pornographie" the young are trapped in immaturity while their elders are prisoners of adulthood.

The problem for me is the gulf between the fantasy land created by Gombrowicz what the reality was in Poland. In 1943 childhood did not exist in the country. During WWII, six million Poles roughly 30% of the nation's population were killed. Every one lived in daily fear of being killed. Procuring food was highly dangerous and most people were severely undernourished. The adolescents of the generation of Henia and Karol were not even being educated as the Germans closed the country's secondary schools and killed the teachers in 1939.

It is difficult to say what Gombrowicz knew of the situation in Poland during WWII or when he learned because he left Poland in 1939 and never returned. In my view, Gombrowicz makes light of a profoundly tragic time in Poland's history. In defense of Gombrowicz, it must be acknowledged that he does not try to present his story as being historically accurate. The characters and their actions clearly belong to the realm of the theatrical farce or of the operetta.

On a final note, the French translation by Georges Lisowski that I read is very good. Lisowksi manages to situate Gombrowicz into the French Absurdist-Nouveau Roman tendency which makes for very enjoyable reading. Lisowksi translates "pierogi z białym serem" as "raviolis au fromage' which I found to be inspired. Gombrowicz was ultimately a dreadful Pole and a wonderful Frenchman.

[WillemC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eerste leesbeurt december 2016: 4/5

Tweede leesbeurt december 2024: 5/5


"[...] een intensivering die de mogelijkheid van een explosie aankondigde."

Twee Warschause intellectuelen van middelbare leeftijd, Witold en Fryderyk, trekken naar het Poolse platteland en verblijven er bij een bevriende familie, waar ze al snel gefascineerd raken door twee tieners en hun onvolmaaktheid, hun jeugd. Die obsessie vertaalt zich in het uitdenken van intriges om Karol en Henia, die eigenlijk al verloofd is met de veel oudere Waclaw, in elkaars nabijheid te brengen en er geliefden van te maken. Het drijft hen steeds verder en verder, tot ze het plan beramen om de jongelingen een verzetsman te laten doden... De "pornografie" uit de titel moet uiteraard niet letterlijk genomen worden; het woord verwijst eerder naar de broeierige sfeer van perversie en machtsspelletjes die in deze roman vanaf het begin tot en met de laatste bladzijde bijna in elke zin aanwezig is. Zelden zoiets niet-conventioneel spannends gelezen. Misschien dat ik dit zelfs even goed vind als zijn andere grote romans "Ferdydurke" en "Kosmos". Meesterlijke literatuur van een unieke auteur.

"Hij vergat dat de misdaad in Karol een andere smaak kon hebben dan in hem."

"... en het toekomstige lijk ontbloeide in verboden, jongens-meisjesachtige, onhandige en rustige zinnelijkheid."

"Het was de verschijning van een lijk - al twee dagen doodden we hem immers onafgebroken."

[Dajana · Rating 5 out of 5]

O pljuvanju čitaocu u lice, o šamaranju svih načina na koji zamišljamo ljubavni roman, o ismevanju našeg osećaja za fabulu, o vrhunskoj pornografiji, o filozofskim konceptima, o piscu koji ne uspeva da bude narator, i povrh svega, o prirodi erotike, želje, Prirode i koncepata muškosti-ženskosti.

Ako vam se učini da je roman besmislen, pročitajte još jednom. Odmah. Pa još jednom.
Zadao je domaći zadatak svima koji vole interpretaciju i pokazao im njihove pervertirane umove. Ovo je roman koji postavlja, bolje nego ijedan drugi koji sam ikad čitala, pitanje da li onaj koji posmatra menja svoj objekat samim činom posmatranja i to pitanje postavlja u najširem mogućem opsegu značenja.

P. S. A i posebno volim kako je šutnuo u zadnjicu realizam i vrle ljubavi verodostojnih priča. :D

(koliko petica dajem, pomisliću uskoro da imam besprekoran književni njuh :D)

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Witold Gombrowicz
(1904-1969)
é considerado um dos maiores nomes da literatura polaca. As suas obras caracterizam-se por uma profunda análise psicológica e um certo sentido do paradoxo e absurdo.
(Wikipédia)

A Pornografia
Aviso: Não tem qualquer cena pornográfica.
Assunto: Dois homens de meia idade que espiam dois adolescentes.
Resultado: Li-o a bocejar, obscenamente, de tédio.
Conclusão: Não percebi nada...

[Sanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads ocenjivanje kaže da trojka znači 'liked it', ali ja je ovde koristim kao 'nije mi se svidelo, ali priznajem i poštujem kvalitet'. Drugim rečima: nije za mene, ali razumem zašto se ljudima dopada.

[Małgorzata · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Podano mu herbatę, którą wypił, ale pozostał mu na talerzyku kawałek cukru — i wyciągnął rękę żeby go podnieść do ust — ale może uznał ten ruch za nie dość uzasadniony, więc cofnął rękę — jednakże cofnięcie ręki było właściwie czymś bardziej jeszcze nieuzasadnionym — wyciągnął tedy rękę powtórnie i zjadł cukier — ale zjadł już chyba nie dla przyjemności, a tylko żeby odpowiednio się zachować... Wobec cukru, czy wobec nas? I pragnąc zatrzeć to wrażenie kaszlnął i aby uzasadnić kaszlnięcie, wyciągnął chusteczkę, ale już nie odważył się wytrzeć nosa — tylko poruszył nogą. Poruszenie nogi, jak się zdaje, nasunęło mu nowe komplikacje, więc w ogóle ucichł i znieruchomiał. To szczególne zachowanie (bo on właściwie nic tylko „zachowywał się", on „zachowywał się" bez ustanku) już wtedy, przy pierwszym widzeniu wzbudziło moją ciekawość."

[Krodì80 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il fascino deviante dello scandalo cinico

Un libro spietato, nella sua verosimile, ineluttabile analisi dell’ossessione. Un macabro voyeurismo, un cinismo erotizzato pervadono le inquietanti pagine di Gombrowicz, che con Pornografia interseca una storia dagli incastri perfetti e sfuggenti, che creano oscure suggestioni e disagi a profusione nel lettore. Da una parte una scrittura ardita, spudorata e voluttuosa, resa mirabilmente dalla traduzione di Vera Verdiani; dall’altra, una narrazione contraddistinta da una perversione tematica e una bizzarria uniche. Con esiti straordinari, e raccapriccianti

[otylka ੈ♡˳ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5



kocham pana panie gombrowicz (mimo iz z calosci ksiazki zrozumialam moze 16%)

[Allan MacDonell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aspiring masturbators should be warned that Witold Gombrowicz’s Pornografia contains no hardcore sexual activity. There is bodily penetration, but only by knives. All of the climaxes and most of the carnality that pops up throughout the novel arise from the intense physical intimacy people share when they murder one another through stabbing. Set in Poland during the Nazi occupation, a Poland never visited by Gombrowicz, who irrevocably expatriated prior to the war’s onset, Pornografia’s atmosphere is dark, close, creepy and turgid with perverse and murderous intrigue. But dying, really, is not the worst affliction that the first-person guide—the other characters call him Witold—is eager to showcase. In league with a partner in base manipulation named Fryderyk, who may be a reptilian mirror of the narrator’s lizard mind, Witold sets out to prove that living and aging is its own punishment, and the compensations are fundamentally compromised: “I was still able to experience delight, yet I knew that my delight would never again be delightful.” Seen in that light, you are unlikely to find a more delightful release than Pornografia.

[Frabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un amico m'aveva chiesto quale fosse il significato di Pornografia. Risposi: “Cercherò di essere il più chiaro possibile. Come si sa, l'uomo tende all'assoluto. Verso la pienezza. Verso la verità assoluta, verso Dio, verso la piena maturità... L'imperativo che lo guida è: comprendere tutto, realizzarsi pienamente. In Pornografia invece appare un altro obiettivo che guida l'azione dell'uomo: esso è diverso, più segreto e forse più clandestino, è il suo bisogno della Non-pienezza... della Non-perfezione... della Mediocrità... della Giovinezza...” (Witold Gombrowicz, 1962, due anni dopo la prima pubblicazione del romanzo.)
In Pornografia - aggiungo - non vi è nulla di pornografico in senso stretto: c'è solo l'auspicio che l'amore, anche carnale, si realizzi quando ve ne sono i presupposti e, più in generale, che l'uomo rinunci senza troppi patemi all'assoluto in favore della vita.

[Miloš · Rating 5 out of 5]

gnječenje/gaženje gliste i povrtanje nogavice

[Justin Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very slow start, but the ingenious plot and Gombrowicz's usual intelligence come through at the end.

[Antoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

gombrowicz częścią tej siły, która wiecznie świństwa pragnąc, wiecznie głębię czyni

[Hakan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Modern edebiyatın ustalarından olarak bilinen Gombrowicz’i kaç zamandır okumak isterdim. Okuduğum ilk kitabı, yayımladığı son roman olan Pornografi oldu. Boşuna heveslenmişim. Herhalde bir daha zor dokunurum başka kitaplarına. Anlam veremediğim bir tema/hikaye örgüsü içinde ilerleyen roman boğdu, baydı, zorla bitirebildim. “Eee ne var yani bunda?” dedirten ve bence vakit kaybı niteliğindeki kitaplardan. Böyle de gömülür bir ustanın kitabı diyelim, huzurdan çekilelim…

[Jan Witczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rok to czytałem

[Izabela Noga · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4.5] To było coś 🤜🤛

[Kaleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about shipping and hating—the only two things in in life!

[H.Sapiens · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5
I can match your freak, Wiciu 💔
Zarąbiste, wierzę, że czyimś personalnym piekłem jest czytanie tej książki i popadanie w szaleństwo.

[Oto Bakradze · Rating 4 out of 5]

მახსოვს ამასწინათ რიდერსლენდზე ეს წიგნი ფასდაკლებით გამოიტანეს და რამდენიმე დღეში ამოიყიდა. ალბათ რამხელა იმედგაცრუებას იგრძნობს უმეტესობა, წიგნის კითხვას რომ/თუ დაიწყებენ. 😃
პორნოგრაფია კი არა, ერთი კოცნაც არაა წიგნში.

მოქმედება ვითარდება გერმანელების მიერ ოკუპირებულ პოლონეთის ერთ-ერთ სოფელში, რომლის მაცხოვრებელი ჰიპოლიტისგან პროტაგონისტ ვიტოლდ გომბროვიჩს მიწვევა მისდის და წასვლისას თან გაიყოლებს მეგობარ ფრიდერიკს. იქ ორივე მათგანს თავში მოსდის იდეა, რომ კაროლი და მეპატრონის შვილი ჰენია ერთმანეთს დააკავშირონ.
იმ პერიოდში ჰენია უნდა დანიშნულიყო ვაცლავზე, რომლის დედასაც არასრულწლოვანი ბიჭი იოზეკი დანით კლავს. შემდეგ პოლონეთის იატაკქვეშეთის ლიდერი შემიანი ეწვევა ჰიპოლიტს სახლში რამდენიმე კვირით. გაირკვევა, რომ ის უარს ამბობს ამ იატაკქვეშეთის წევრობაზე, ცხადდება საშიშ პიროვნებად და მის მოკვლას მოითხოვენ.

აი მერე იწყება საგიჟეთი. 😃

სიუჟეტი ნელ-ნელა იბერება და ბოლოში ფეთქდება. დასასრული აქვს ძალიან მაგარი.

[Aslı Can]

Yazar Pornografi'yi Ferdydurke'nin devamı niteliğinde yazmış sayılabileceğini söylüyor ön sözde. Bana kalırsa öz olarak Ferdydurke'ye benzediği kadar, okumaya eşlik eden tekinsiz gerilim havası veren biçim bakımından da Dava'ya benziyor. Benim için diğer Gombrowicz okumalarından daha farklı gelişen bir okuma deneyimi oldu. Sanırım Gombrowicz ile tanışmak için doğru eser olmayabilir.