Published in 1965,
Cosmos is the last novel by Gombrowicz (1904–1969) and his most somber and multifaceted work. A dark, quasi-detective novel, Cosmos follows the classic noir motif to explore the arbitrariness of language, the joke of human freedom, and man’s attempt to bring order out of chaos in his psychological life.
Cosmos is translated here for the first time directly from the Polish by Danuta Borchardt, translator of
Ferdydurke. A student needing a quiet place to study and his friend in need of a break from work find a perfect rural retreat, but one that draws them gradually into a highly ambiguous mystery.
"Sly, funny, absorbing... The two neurotic detectives single-mindedly interrogate the meaning of their surroundings, seeking in the most mundane objects and events the solution to a mystery only they can see, their suspicions growing and growing until we begin to fear for their sanity - or ours…. The insight in these remarkable pages is creatively captivating and intellectually challenging." — Neil Gordon,
New York Times Book ReviewCosmos is translated here for the first time directly from the Polish by Danuta Borchardt, translator of
Ferdydurke.
“Borchardt’s graceful, powerful, and inventive translation is a great gift to all lovers of Witold Gombrowicz’s quirky prose.” — Jaroslaw Anders
MORE ON WITOLD GOMBROWICZPURCHASE
