The Last Supper

by Paweł Huelle, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translation)

Winner of 2009 Found in Translation Prize given for the best translation of Polish literature to English language. “Inventive and ironic, but riddling and elusive.”— The Independent Set in Gdansk, twelve men have been invited by their mutual friend to model at a photographic session for a modern version of The Last Supper. The histories of the men are revealed through their thoughts on the their wayward behavior is a reflection of the role of the church in Polish society today. The reunion is disturbed as a wave of terrorist bombs paralyzes the city, creating upheaval and a sense of unease. Pawel Huelle is a novelist, playwright, and newspaper columnist who lives in Gdansk, Poland. His previous books include Mercedes-Benz and Castorp . Antonia Lloyd-Jones is one of the best translators of Polish literature into English. Her published translations from Polish include novels by Pawel Huelle and Olga Tokarczuk, short stories by Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz, and non-fiction, most recently by Ryszard Kapuscinski and Wojciech Tochman.

Genres: Poland, Polish Literature, Fiction, Novels

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Paweł Huelle (b. 10 September 1957 in Gdańsk, Poland) was a Polish prose writer.

Huelle studied philology at Gdańsk University, and later became a journalist. He worked for a time for the press service of Solidarność (Solidarity). He has also taught literature, philosophy, and history. He was director of the Polish Television in his home town from 1994 to 1999.

His literary debut came in 1987 with Weiser Dawidek, made into a film, Weiser, by Wojciech Marczewski in 2000.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think a better understanding of modern art, theology and the Polish church was needed to fully appreciate this, but despite the fact that I’m not at all sure how everything really fitted together, I still managed to enjoy it!

[Kasia dear.gentlereaders]

Byłam podekscytowana na czytanie tej książki, bo akcja dzieje się w Gdańsku, w którym od 7 lat mieszkam.

Muszę oddać autorowi to, że jest inteligentny, zrobił sobie dobry research historyczny i religijny. Może ma to związek z jego wykształceniem, ale tego nie wiem. Na tym pochwały jednak muszę zakończyć.

Naprawdę czuję, że przeczytanie tej książki to był zmarnowany czas. Wprowadziła mnie w zastój czytelniczy. Stworzona została chyba na potrzebę podniety filologów polskich, a piszę to jako absolwentka tego kierunku. Klasycznie trzeba oprzeć się na religii i myśleć, że jest się fajnym.

Akcja miesza się na dwa czasy i miało się wrażenie, że jakieś zdanie buja albo fragment, ale przy całości nie ma to żadnego znaczenia. Kilku bohaterów ma wspólny cel, ale narrator tak kręci, że zapomina się, kto tu w ogóle robił co. Nawet, gdy dochodzi do kulminacji, to dosłownie nic z niej nie wynika i nie ma napięcia. Jedno zdanie nie nadaje sensu całej powieści.

Nie ma tu żadnej dystopii, pomysł całkowicie dla mnie niezrozumiały i nie szukałabym w tym żadnej wyniosłości i umiejętności literackich.

Zniechęciła mnie do jego twórczości i tutaj swoją znajomość zakończymy.

[miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

przyznam, że w niektórych momentach czułam się delikatnie zagubiona, jednak książka jest niezaprzeczalnie świetna.
zdecydowanie przeczytam ją kolejny raz, ale nie ze względu na to jak przyjemnie się ją czytało, ale po to, by poskładać wiecej elementów w całość, których za pierwszym razem nie udało mi się zrozumieć.

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read Huelle before but this book has encouraged me to read more of him. It is an interesting book, well written with some beautiful vignettes that suck you in, grip you and leave you looking for more. There is an interesting story running through of an artist preparing for a photo-shoot of a group of his friends in order to produce a painting of the Last Supper. We follow a few of these friends, in the process having some of the corruption of Church and state revealed - often amusingly. Meanwhile, Huelle takes us on slight detours in which he discusses the nature of the Messiah, the meaning of Art, and the experiences of David Roberts when he was sketching in the Holy land in the 1830s. Lovely.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit meandering, and I felt like to really appreciate it, I would have had to be as learned as the author about early Christian history. But it touches on some other things that interest me more, such as the Yugoslavian conflict and post-Communism in Poland, plus it's mostly set in the area of Poland where I lived for four years, so I enjoyed it.

[Aaron Miner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think as I flash back to scenes from this, I like it better than 3 stars. They feel visceral, like my own memories.

[Leo · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very tedious read. Pawel jumps right into the scene, and clearly expects the audience to be on the same cloud. Could have been more interesting should I have been more informed.

[Karo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult. One to re-read.