Polonia

Malgosia,

I was just about to apologise for the possible imprpriety of my last
posting so I'm relieved to hear your response.

I'm sure you have considerably more knowledge of Polish literature cultur
than i do, and I can freely admiy that what little knowledge i do have
comes largely from various works by Gombrowicz, including Milosz's
excellent intro to Ferdydurke, the Wiktacy reader, stories told to me by my
relatives and largely my owm imagination.

I find Gombrowicz's writing and journey fascinating and it is from his
diary, which is published in three volumes, beginning during WW2 when he
was in more or less self imposed exile in Argentina, that the 'exchange'
with Milosz comes (in volume 1 which is the only one I have). I think the
context is Gombrowicz's reading of Milosz's *The Captive Mind*, and also
responding to Milosz's response to Gombrowicz's *Trans-atlantyk*. The Diary
includes sizeable amounts of Milosz's side of the issue, which tends to be
more historical/present oriented/engaging with communism, as opposed to
Gombrowicz's past and future, delirious approach, which I believe is very
Deleuzean (check the insistence of Gombrowicz references throughout
Deleuze's oeuvre from Diff and Rep to Critique et Clinique). What interests
me is how the experience of war/trauma/imvasion throws into harsh relief
the fictions of personal and national identity as phantasmatic constructs,
delirious fictions, and suggests a way of relating to one's place or places
of origin as a form of passage through layers of fabulation (c.f. Raul Ruiz
and Chile). Creativity as survival ( or non-survival). Living in a country,
New Zealand, which with the sale to overseas concerns of virtually
everything, to all intents and purposes is rapidly ceasing to exist, makes
these issues particularly relevant. I would be interested to hear more
about the names you have mentioned (whether in personal or list
correspondance).

Dovitzenya (?)

Mikhail



>I think that this idea of Polishness as a mania is something that runs
>very deeply through Polish culture -- other examples that immediately come 
>to ming are Slowacki, Krasinski and Wyspianski; it might have to do with 
>the fact that Poland, for such a long time, did not exist as a country, 
>so that Polishness existed only as a kind of national delirium.  Mikhail, 
>can you give the reference for the Gombrowicz/Milosz exchanges?
>
>-m