Wiesław Myśliwski
Paperback | Pages: 537 pages Rating: 4.4 | 726 Users | 98 Reviews
Point Books Supposing Stone Upon Stone
| Original Title: | Kamień na kamieniu |
| ISBN: | 098262462X (ISBN13: 9780982624623) |
| Edition Language: | English URL https://archipelagobooks.org/book/stone-upon-stone/ |
| Setting: | Poland |
| Literary Awards: | BTBA Best Translated Book Award for Fiction (2012), PEN Translation Prize for Bill Johnston (2012) |
Rendition Toward Books Stone Upon Stone
A masterpiece of post-war Polish literature, Stone Upon Stone is Wiesław Myśliwski’s grand epic in the rural tradition—a profound and irreverent stream of memory cutting through the rich and varied terrain of one man’s connection to the land, to his family and community, to women, to tradition, to God, to death, and to what it means to be alive.Wise and impetuous, plainspoken and compassionate Szymek, recalls his youth in their village, his time as a guerrilla soldier, as a wedding official, barber, policeman, lover, drinker, and caretaker for his invalid brother.
Filled with interwoven stories and voices, by turns hilarious and moving, Szymek’s narrative exudes the profound wisdom of one who has suffered, yet who loves life to the very core.
Mention Appertaining To Books Stone Upon Stone
| Title | : | Stone Upon Stone |
| Author | : | Wiesław Myśliwski |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 537 pages |
| Published | : | January 2011 by Archipelago Books (first published 1984) |
| Categories | : | Cultural. Poland. European Literature. Polish Literature. Literature. Fiction |
Rating Appertaining To Books Stone Upon Stone
Ratings: 4.4 From 726 Users | 98 ReviewsEvaluate Appertaining To Books Stone Upon Stone
Imagine sitting with a great storyteller for over two weeks. His mind is full of stories from rural Poland, from the war before and after, from his adventures as a young wag and an aging but likable man. In no time at all, one thought strand leads to the next and he jumps. He has no problem with time, either, going back many years and then only a few, up to the present and back to wherever. Chronologies are for the history books, not the storytellers!As you might expect, though, some stories areThis is the Polish Zorba. A rambling, epic of a book charting the life of a hard-drinking, womanizing, beast of a man who lives life on his own terms, no matter the consequences.Through the eyes of Szymek Pietruszka, a peasant with scant education, little money and even fewer prospects, we are shown a slice of rural life before, during and after the Second World War.The transition is captured in minute detail and delivered in a series of soliloquies that act as metaphors for the change in Poles
Kinda sorta like 'True Grit' Polish style....that is instead of Whiskey there is Vodka...potatoes and peirogis...and home made bread. At times it kind of reminded me of a Fellini movie with the cast of characters...one character laughs all the time, another cries all the time, yet another never cries. ..the star of the book was a part of the resistance against the Nazi's. After being wounded he returns home (a farm) and immediately his father starts in on him. The son explains he has been out
Starting with the building of a family tomb, Szymeck Pietstruszka, a Polish farmer shares an unending stream of stories of his childhood, his family, his varied career as a barber, a soldier, a wedding official and being a farmer. That he loves life, tries to do the right thing most of the time, and has a healthy fear of God and is at times a smart ass, is clear, and one cannot but continue to cheer him on. His reminisces of the dances he attends, the drunken fights, his lovers and only love and
Mysliwski builds dual portraits of the protagonist Szymek Pietruszka and his village just as Szymek is building the tomb for himself and his brothers, a bit at a time as materials come his way. Time loops around. We get a bit of an introduction to someone with a comment that foreshadows their eventual relationship with Szymek, or a casual aside about an event or an outcome, told in the course of a different story. Eventually the mason comes back and builds up that wall, filling in but maybe not
The discursive narrative style is a blend of artfulness and artlessness that disarmed me with its power. All of the harrowing, deadly, tender, and memorable events in Szymek Pietruszkas life are revealed to the reader, with many digressions along the way. Some events are sharply told in a single paragraph. Others reveal themselves in small increments that build throughout the novel, as if some memories are too painful to tell all at once. Szymek is irreverent and explosive. He's a drunk, a lout.
I very rarely leave a book unfinished and I had wanted to consign Stone Upon Stone to the heap of unreadable books after the first chapter. It took me a very long time to get to the end of the first chapter. But I felt I needed to read some more, so I read another two chapters and still I wanted to ditch it. However, I am thankful I kept on reading because it turned out to be an unusual story that touched me in unexpected ways.I have never before read Wiesław Myśliwski. He is a Polish novelist.
0 Comments:
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.