The Letters of Witold Gombrowicz to Zdravko Malić

In the legacy of Zdravko Malić (1933–1997) – a historian of literature, critic, poet and translator –  the most important Croatian polonist in the second half of the 20th century, founder of the Chair of Polish Language and Literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb (1965) and a longtime lecturer of Polish literature there are 19 letters written by Witold Gombrowicz to his critic. Malić was the author of the first dissertation on Gombrowicz’s work in the world, which he defended in 1965 under the title Witold Gombrowicz’s Literary Work. Though it has never been published as a whole, Malić generated from his thesis a large number of articles which he later published in the Croatian, Polish and French scientific press. With these works he confirmed that his contribution to early gombrowiczology was of an exceptional character, and that his research paved the way for the dynamic development of this polonist discipline.
The description of the correspondence is limited to a few most important dimensions: the financial and publishing problems with Malić’s translation of Ferdydurke; the “examination” of his critical competences and the enthusiastic acceptance of Malić’s doctoral dissertation by Gombrowicz; gaining the writer’s full trust and opening up to close co-operation, mutual assistance and even friendship. This is where the writer invited Malić to the world of gombrowiczology, in which the critic from Zagreb left a deep and inspirational mark.

In the legacy of Zdravko Malić (1933–1997) – a historian of literature, critic, poet and translator –  the most important Croatian polonist in the second half of the 20th century, founder of the Chair of Polish Language and Literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb (1965) and a longtime lecturer of Polish literature there are 19 letters written by Witold Gombrowicz to his critic. Malić was the author of the first dissertation on Gombrowicz’s work in the world, which he defended in 1965 under the title Witold Gombrowicz’s Literary Work. Though it has never been published as a whole, Malić generated from his thesis a large number of articles which he later published in the Croatian, Polish and French scientific press. With these works he confirmed that his contribution to early gombrowiczology was of an exceptional character, and that his research paved the way for the dynamic development of this polonist discipline.
The description of the correspondence is limited to a few most important dimensions: the financial and publishing problems with Malić’s translation of Ferdydurke; the “examination” of his critical competences and the enthusiastic acceptance of Malić’s doctoral dissertation by Gombrowicz; gaining the writer’s full trust and opening up to close co-operation, mutual assistance and even friendship. This is where the writer invited Malić to the world of gombrowiczology, in which the critic from Zagreb left a deep and inspirational mark.