The ‘secret of life’ and repetition. About Nimrod by Bruno Schulz

Interpreting Bruno Schulz’s short story Nimrod in the context of Modernist vitalism reveals the significance and specific character of this short piece within the whole liter- ary production of the author of The Street of Crocodiles. Taking into account a variety of life philosophies, it is possible to rethink the role of childhood in Schulz’s prose. Whether a human offspring or a puppy, the condition of being a child occupies an important position in the author’s reflection upon the essence of life. In his anthro- pological thinking, in which the ‘living vs. dead’ opposition occupies a central place, the category of repetition is especially relevant. Also significant here is the context of the progress of the natural sciences at the turn of the 19th and 20th century, which was familiar to Schulz.
 

Interpreting Bruno Schulz’s short story Nimrod in the context of Modernist vitalism reveals the significance and specific character of this short piece within the whole liter- ary production of the author of The Street of Crocodiles. Taking into account a variety of life philosophies, it is possible to rethink the role of childhood in Schulz’s prose. Whether a human offspring or a puppy, the condition of being a child occupies an important position in the author’s reflection upon the essence of life. In his anthro- pological thinking, in which the ‘living vs. dead’ opposition occupies a central place, the category of repetition is especially relevant. Also significant here is the context of the progress of the natural sciences at the turn of the 19th and 20th century, which was familiar to Schulz.