This local club is for readers who would like to discuss Polish literature in English.

The book for the meeting is Tango by Sławomir Mrożek, first published in 2006. Tango is a play, and  arguably, his most famous one. In his trademark absurd style the play deals with the totalitarianism and its brutal ways of forcing conformism; the subject treatment through the fog of absurd makes for a different and interesting perspective.

Mrożek (1930-2013) is nowadays best known as a playwright, with Tango and Emigrants / Emigranci staged worldwide. However, he was also famous for his short stories and that is how yours truly discovered him as a writer, back in elementary school. He frequently used nonsense situations  and what can be described as a schizophrenic view of reality, to a great comedic effect, while subliminally conveying subversive ideas that earned him a great attention of the communist regime censors. (He left Poland in 1963). His most famous short story is Słoń / The Elephant that I first heard recited from memory at a summer camp, no less! Get a book of his short stories while you are at it.

Mrozek’s plays and short stories have been widely translated, there are several of his books available on Amazon.

More: about Mrożek and his works

Please contact Paulina for the Zoom invite or more info.