The Possessed

Witold Gombrowicz's The Possessed is a Gothic novel that subverts the form with dreams of escaping his small-town existence and becoming embroiled in the fantastic happenings at a dilapidated castle. Translated directly into English for the first time by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, it is a comic masterpiece that has all the hallmarks of Gombrowicz's provocative style.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 18 October 2023
Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions

In his novel "The Possessed," widely regarded as Poland's greatest modernist work, Witold Gombrowicz skillfully weaves together the familiar tropes of the Gothic genre to create a darkly humorous and subversive take on the form. Driven by a desire to escape his mundane existence and the constraints of his social status, a young tennis coach ventures to the heart of the Polish countryside, where he is tasked with training Maja Ochołowska, a talented and promising player whose bourgeois family has faced challenging circumstances. However, as soon as he arrives, the coach's relationship with his pupil evolves into a complex interplay of twisted love and hate, leading him into the fantastical events unfolding at the nearby dilapidated castle. Haunted kitchens, bewitched towels, cunning secretaries, and renowned clairvoyants all conspire to shape the fate of the young lovers and the mad prince residing within the castle walls. Translated directly into English for the first time by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, "The Possessed" emerges as a comic masterpiece that, despite its literary pastiche, bears all the hallmarks of Gombrowicz's signature provocative style.

In his novel "The Possessed," widely regarded as Poland's greatest modernist work, Witold Gombrowicz skillfully weaves together the familiar tropes of the Gothic genre to create a darkly humorous and subversive take on the form. Driven by a desire to escape his mundane existence and the constraints of his social status, a young tennis coach ventures to the heart of the Polish countryside, where he is tasked with training Maja Ochołowska, a talented and promising player whose bourgeois family has faced challenging circumstances. However, as soon as he arrives, the coach's relationship with his pupil evolves into a complex interplay of twisted love and hate, leading him into the fantastical events unfolding at the nearby dilapidated castle. Haunted kitchens, bewitched towels, cunning secretaries, and renowned clairvoyants all conspire to shape the fate of the young lovers and the mad prince residing within the castle walls. Translated directly into English for the first time by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, "The Possessed" emerges as a comic masterpiece that, despite its literary pastiche, bears all the hallmarks of Gombrowicz's signature provocative style.

Weight: 384g
Dimension: 197 x 122 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781804270615