Point Books During 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) |
Wiesław Myśliwski
Paperback | Pages: 537 pages Rating: 4.4 | 726 Users | 98 Reviews
Details Containing 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 |
Interpretation Conducive To 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.Rating Containing Books Stone Upon Stone
Ratings: 4.4 From 726 Users | 98 ReviewsArticle Containing Books Stone Upon Stone
I read an English translation from the original Polish. I kept thinking of the stream of consciousness narrator as one of Tolstoy's happy serfs despite his fight against the Germans and a debilitating injury he suffers all the while concerned with building a family tomb.
Another reviewer said that this book was like having a conversation with an elderly relative that talks about his/her youth without logical timeline, with repetitions, exxagerations and sometimes hard to follow. I agree but unlike the other reviewer, I liked it for it. There is no plot. Long chapters deal with themes of rural life and the characters, exploring a Poland that was once Russian, then Poland, then German occupied and then Poland again. At times funny, often heartbreaking, ridiculous,
A true saga and probably masterpiece of rural Poland farmer describing himself, his farm, family, village, and country coming into the modern world (no so long ago). He still lives on the farm, but his 2 bothers have moved to the city for good jobs, indoor plumbing, heat, that kind of thing, his parents are dead, his town is dysfunctional and drunk and poor and generally either whiney, vindictive or both. He is a bachelor, a horndog, and perpetually lonely, thinking, and likes it that way, sorta
Over the expanse of 500+ pages, Szymek Pietruszka, a Polish peasant, recalls his hardscrabble life, that of his family, and his village, from his childhood (circa 1920), through the War, and into the Communist Era (ending circa 1970s). Told in the first person, free-associating one incident after another, with no formal plot, some "paragraphs" extending over pages. The narrative will go, often within a sentence or phrase, from an incident that evokes a belly-laugh to one of hair-raising horror.
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
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
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