Witold Gombrowicz is a Polish novelist, essayist and playwright who observed, commented and critiqued contemporary society and the human condition. His writings are eccentric and wildly unique. Interesting to me, this story which is translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones for the first time since 1939. The original version was evidently missing the ending, which was discovered in 1986 by Ludwik B. Grzeniewski, who found the final three instalments of the novel in surviving copies of Kurier Czerwony newspaper, from September 1939. The full Polish version was actually only published in 1990, so this is a new ending for the first time in English. It has since become one of the top 500 best books ever published.
The third person narrative revolves around the love affair between a young woman named Maja Ocholowska, and a tennis coach named Marian Walczak. Their love story takes place in a haunted castle, in which an insane prince lives, surrounded by an art collection. The love between these two is both sweet and romantic, while being dark and disturbing and ultimately comedic. There is doubt, fear and hate. This is a gothic possession that forces us to imagine losing our sense of being and fall victim to paranoia and insanity.
This book was interesting and I am glad that I read it because of its history. It is not for everyone, in my opinion. If you enjoy satire, comedic representation and a haunted castle, this one is for you.

What do two tennis prodigies from different classes have to do with a haunted castle, an old ailing prince, his covetous secretary and an academic searching for treasures from Polish history? In Witold Gombrowicz's <i>The Possessed</i> these seemingly separate story lines somehow come together is an absurdist twist on Gothic horror. Gombrowicz wrote this work under a pseudonym and it was partially published in serialization, the author was dismissive of the work compared to his other writings. This edition is the first time the entire work has been translated and published in English.

Maja Ocholowska is a beautiful and talented tennis player, her father having died, her mother has turned their estate to a vacation or boarding house. This home shares a near neighbor in a castle falling in to ruin. It is owned and lived in by Prince Holszan who is haunted by his dead son Franio. Cholawicki serves as Holszan's secretary and is engaged to Maj. Cholawicki has set himself up to inherit Holszan's estate. Leszczuk is a young orphan who was hired to be a coach to Maja, though his name changes midway through the story. Leszczuk and Maja look eerily similar and alternate between attraction and abhorrence.

<i>The Possessed</i> is fun, but long. The cast of characters is small, with most of them carrying out actions or impulses beyond what they feel would be their normal reactions. They all have their separate motivations or driving forces, and all (sort of) is revealed in the end. Mostly, the cast creates chaos, and it is on this chaos that the story thrives.

The Possessed by Witold Gombrowicz is, I think, a fun attempt at horror on the part of a literary genius. I don't think it was extremely successful, however.

I had previously read two other novels by Gombrowicz, Ferdydurke and Trans-Atlantyk, so I was eager to read a third with the hope of completing his oeuvre. These previous novels were spectacular, funny, thought-provoking, but The Possessed lacked those elements I had grown to love about him.

The writing is still great; Gombrowicz knows how to write. The novel was very atmospheric (think: Wuthering Heights), dark, cartoon-like. But I wasn't really sold on any of the characters or their interactions with each other. The beginning of the novel started off strong, but the momentum dragged towards the middle through the end. I didn't feel completely satisfied with the ending reveal either. I felt it should have been scarier / more clever in the wrap up.

I wanted more: darker, scarier, more thrilling. And I wish it was infused with his usual satirical, existential expertise. To summarise: it was good but not great.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic for the advanced copy.

“The empty, uninhabited castle amid the waters and marshland was death…”

And so we dive into the tale, deep in the heart of the Polish wilderness kept company by a host of quirky characters, each with their own vice, a gigantic, haunted castle full of treasures and even more secrets, and, among other things, a haunted towel.

Do you like creepy? This sets the mood. What about forbidden love stories? There's that, too. You want a humorous novel? Read this one. Like a mystery? That's the entire point.

From the first sentence, I felt transported to the train where we meet the main characters– who each have their own ironic, and oftentimes hilarious, flaws– and each perspective beautifully advances the story without feeling overwhelming.

The forbidden love story is extremely chaotic. The characters in this subplot are not the most likable, but I was so intrigued by the storyline and their “similarities” that it didn’t really bother me. AND the “similarities” directly tie into the mystery that surrounds the novel.

There’s a point where the plot slows down (about midway through) but KEEP READING!!! The ending is great. Also, while the story begins to slow down, it does eventually all tie back together. I kept reminding myself that it was originally serialized and was not formatted as a novel.

This translation by Lloyd-Jones perfectly captures every essence I believe Gombrowicz was trying to imbue when this was originally released in 1939. I also love how the editors have kept things as they originally were, even changing the main character’s name in the middle of the tale (with a helpful footnote) because there was a real person who had the same name and career.

In short– I absolutely loved it. It has everything I enjoy in a novel: forbidden love, haunted houses, humor, and quirky characters that make you raise an eyebrow.

This book may not be for every reader. There are some brief depictions of abuse and talks of suicide. They’re very quick and are not main themes in this novel. Just something to be aware of!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for lending me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This is a well written book. It has some fine lines, a few well conceived set pieces, a fair share of perceptive and insightful observations, and some lean dialogue. Atmosphere and setting is top drawer. That said, try as I might I found neither the characters, nor their situations, nor the overall narrative engaging or amusing enough to arouse or hold my curiosity and attention. As a consequence, it doesn't seem fair to write much more of a review, apart from encouraging inquisitive readers to give the book a try.

I love Witold Gombrowicz and I love Antonia Lloyd Jones. Is this as good as Cosmos or Ferdydurke? No, but it is a wild ride in its own right, and Gombrowicz fans will enjoy seeing his early treatment of some of the themes he'll explore more fully in those later masterpieces. And it's a new Gombrowicz! Who can complain abou that!

"The Possessed" by Witold Gombrowicz is a remarkable work that showcases the author's mastery of literary innovation and dark humor. Gombrowicz, often regarded as Poland's greatest modernist, takes the familiar elements of the Gothic novel and skillfully subverts them in this harrowing and hilarious pastiche.

Because of its absurdists elements, The Possessed took me a while to fully embrace. However, once I got past the initial perplexity, I found myself deeply engrossed in its world.

One of the most striking aspects of "The Possessed" is the exploration of themes like the human condition and the nature of existence, though my favorite explorations were the social norms and the absurdities of social hierarchies. The characters I found pretty bizarre and often larger than life, but help as vehicles for these explorations pretty clearly, which I appreciate too. I found myself both fascinated and repelled by their idiosyncrasies.

Though, what truly captivated me was the atmosphere of this novel, especially in its later sections. As the story progresses, the tension and unease build, and the absurd elements meld with the narrative, which end up having an unsettling effect.

I recommend it to those who enjoy works like Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" and are willing to engage with literature that pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling.