Synopses & Reviews
Considered by many to be among the greatest writers of the past hundred years, Polish novelist Witold Gombrowicz explores the modern predicament of exile and displacement in a disintegrating world in his acclaimed classic
Trans-Atlantyk. Gombrowiczs most personal novel—and arguably his most iconoclastic—
Trans-Atlantyk is written in the style of a
gaweda, a tale told by the fireside in a language that originated in the seventeenth century. It recounts the often farcical adventures of a penniless young writer stranded in Argentina when the Nazis invade his homeland, and his subsequent “adoption” by the Polish embassy staff and émigré community.
Based loosely on Gombrowiczs own experiences as an expatriate, Trans-Atlantyk is steeped in humor and sharply pointed satire, interlaced with dark visions of war and its horrors, that entreats the individual and society in general to rise above the suffocating constraints of nationalistic, sexual, and patriotic mores. The novel's themes are universal and its execution ingenious—a masterwork of twentieth-century literary art from an author whom John Updike called “one of the profoundest of the late moderns.”
Review
“Trans-Atlantyk is indeed an uproarious book, but it is also deadly serious, exploring the dire straits into which blind allegiance to tradition can lead us.”—America magazine
Review
“Most of the book is written in a baroque Polish that flits merrily between tired clichéd phrases, contemporary slurs, and Gombrowiczian neologisms. This slippery, tricky style is offered to the reader in a slim novel that is a joy to read. For this particular joy, we can thank Danuta Borchardt, who is also known for her preeminent translation of Gombrowicz’s magnum opus, the “untranslatable” Ferdydurke, published by Yale University Press in 2000.” —The Quarterly Conversation
Review
‘Since 2000, Danuta Borchardt has been engaged with translating the four novels of Witold Gombrowicz published in his lifetime, and the process is now complete with Trans-Atlantyk. These masterly translations at last provide a satisfying, coherent survey of the author many consider to be among Polish literatures most untranslatable stylists. . .While Borchardt brings a domesticating tendency, smoothing a few purposefully rough edges, her limpid prose is worth it. Gombrowiczs arch humour now punches even harder.—Scott Esposito, TLS
Review
Longlisted for the 2015 PEN Literary Translation Award.
Review
Longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize : For a book-length translation of prose into English published in 2014, given by PEN American Center.
Synopsis
A brilliant, semiautobiographical satirical novel from one of the foremost figures in twentieth-century Polish literature, now in a new English translation
Synopsis
A brilliant, semiautobiographical satirical novel from one of the foremost figures in twentieth-century Polish literature, now in a new English translation
Considered by many to be among the greatest writers of the past hundred years, Polish novelist Witold Gombrowicz explores the modern predicament of exile and displacement in a disintegrating world in his acclaimed classic Trans-Atlantyk. Gombrowicz's most personal novel--and arguably his most iconoclastic--Trans-Atlantyk is written in the style of a gaweda, a tale told by the fireside in a language that originated in the seventeenth century. It recounts the often farcical adventures of a penniless young writer stranded in Argentina when the Nazis invade his homeland, and his subsequent "adoption" by the Polish embassy staff and emigre community.
Based loosely on Gombrowicz's own experiences as an expatriate, Trans-Atlantyk is steeped in humor and sharply pointed satire, interlaced with dark visions of war and its horrors, that entreats the individual and society in general to rise above the suffocating constraints of nationalistic, sexual, and patriotic mores. The novel's themes are universal and its execution ingenious--a masterwork of twentieth-century literary art from an author whom John Updike called "one of the profoundest of the late moderns."
About the Author
Witold Gombrowicz (19041969) is the author of four novels, several plays, and one major nonfiction work. He was the recipient of the prestigious International Editors Award in 1967. Danuta Borchardt is an award-winning translator.