Ferdydurke

About “Ferdydurke”

A 1937 novel by Witold Marian Gombrowicz follows a writer who is thrown into a chaotic world of schoolboys by a diabolical professor aiming to reduce him to childishness. The book, titled Ferdydurke, became a literary sensation upon its release in Poland. It made its author instantly famous but also drew controversy. The novel was considered scandalous and subversive by the Nazis, the Stalinists, and the Polish Communist regime. As a result, it and all of Gombrowicz's other works were banned in Poland for many years. Despite this, the novel remains a significant and influential work in twentieth-century European literature.