Zofia Nałkowska was one of the most innovative prose writers of Polish literature. Her work spanned three periods: from pre-World War I Young Poland, through the Inter-war years, to post-World War II communist Poland. Her writing, some of which has been translated into English, is a valuable addition to modernist literature and deserves to be known outside of Poland.In From Corsets to Communism: The Life and Times of Zofia Nałkowska; A Biography, Jenny Robertson has undertaken a challenging task. Moving chronologically through Nałkowska's life, in successive chapters, she intertwines events from the author's life with interpretations of her various works, as well as important political, historical, social, and cultural phenomena. Robertson shows how Poland's history influenced Nałkowska's writing, from her father's socialist activities in partitioned Poland to her often criticized work as a parliamentarian during the Stalinist years. At the same time, Robertson demonstrates how important Nałkowska's personal life was for her writing. Bits and pieces from various love affairs, marriages, flirtations, and financial struggles all made their way into her works. Moreover, unexpected, sometimes quirky observations of people and things similarly resurfaced in the texts. Sometimes, the observation entered a text directly. This was the case with her anthology of short stories, Dom nad łąkami [The house by the meadows 1925]. The Nałkowski family owned a summerhouse in the countryside and, as Robertson writes, “[t]heir neighbors were simple people whom Zofia would later immortalize in her much acclaimed book, The House by the Meadows” (p. 19). At other times, the event that inspired her would be much more transposed and changed. For example, in 1907, her first husband, Leon Rygier, “seduced and made pregnant” (p. 24) a country girl who worked for the author as a servant. “Far into the future [1934], the seduced country girl would become one of the greatest characters in pre-war Polish literature: Justyna in Zofia's much acclaimed novel, Boundary” (p. 24). The connection could be even more distant. The title of Nałkowska's last novel, Węzły życia [Knots of Life, 1948], is based on an inscription on a Jewish tombstone that the author noticed as a teenager and noted in her diary (p. 215).The back and inner jackets suggest a popularizing biography written in an emotional tone. Yet, for a popularizing work, Robertson very thoroughly supports her biography with sources. She quotes from or refers to not only Nałkowska's own diaries and fictional works, but also to the writing of numerous of her contemporaries, people who knew her either in a personal capacity or as a fellow artist or both. The wealth of biographical detail will be of interest not only to the casual reader, but also to the scholar of Nałkowska's writing. In that respect, the notes are especially valuable, as they direct the reader to exact citations in primary sources, some of which, like the author's Dzienniki 1899–1954 [Diaries, 1970–2001] are voluminous.For the casual reader, unfamiliar with Polish history and/or culture, Robertson's book may be a bit of a challenge. The constant intertwining of the personal, literary, and cultural information, the constant changing of direction may require concerted effort. This is especially true of the political and cultural background, which is presented clearly, but very briefly. I am uncertain if the casual reader will be able to understand the significance of each given phenomenon for Nałkowska. One would hope that the brevity of the descriptions might inspire the reader to search for more information on Poland.Those interested in the Western suffragist era and fin-de-siècle, might find her pre-World War I novels of interest. Written in a Neo-romantic flowery style that Nałkowska later rejected, they offer daring descriptions of women's psyche and emotions, often breaking thematic taboos. As Robertson writes, “she wrote as a woman about women, penetrating deep into the female psyche and sexuality” (p. 22). Robertson further demonstrates how the author's Inter-war novels and one great play, Dom kobiet [House of women, 1930] constituted her best, most mature works, and are an important addition to late modernist psychological literature. Finally, there is the post-World War II period. Robertson herself had first encountered Nałkowska's work through her important collection of stories, Medaliony [Medallions, 1946]. Nałkowska participated in the Commission to Investigate War Crimes, interviewing numerous survivors of concentration camps. The result was a collection of chillingly matter-of-fact stories that described Nazi atrocities; a collection translated into numerous languages and today considered a classic of genocide literature.Overall, Jenny Robertson's From Corsets to Communism is a worthwhile and successful endeavor. Well-documented and written in a lively style, the book makes a convincing case for Nałkowska's innovative writing being of interest to a wide variety of readers.
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Jun 7, 2022
Lan Wang 
Open Access
