The commemoration of the 50th death anniversary of the Nobel prize nominee, distinguished Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969) will be held this week in Ankara. The event starts on 18th of November with an academic panel at the Ankara University organized by the Department of Polish Language and Literature. The guests will have a chance to listen to academic discussions about the author’s work and life.
Witold Gombrowicz still seems to be misunderstood as a controversial artist even after all those years. From the onset of his difficult childhood through his adult life, Gombrowicz described himself as an émigré who is not able to find his own place in the world. Thanks to his colorful biography, philosophical attitude towards life and strong language skills, he can be considered as an interdisciplinary artist and remains one of the best Polish writers in the history. His books were translated to almost 40 languages including English and Turkish.
On 19th of November a workshop which will be organized by a Polish actor and director Prof. Krzysztof Skibski will take place at the Bilkent University, Department of Performing Arts.
On 20th of November at 18:30 we will celebrate the opening of an exhibition prepared by the Polish artist and Bilkent University Fine Arts Department lecturer, Beata Zalewska. The opening will be preceded by a concert of Bilkent String Quartet. During the exhibition viewers will be able to see copies of the Gombrowicz’s hand-written scripts, photos from the archives of Rita Gombrowicz, posters from the previous festivals being organized at the Powszechny Theatre in Radom. Art pieces made by Turkish and Polish artists as tributes to the writer’s memory will be also a significant part of the ÉMIGRÉ exhibition.
The exhibition will be available until 27th of November at Büyükşehir Belediyesi Zafer Carşısı Sanatlar Gallery in Kızılay.
Festival is organized in cooperation with late writer’s wife Rita Gombrowicz, Polish Embassy in Ankara, Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyesi, Bilkent University, Ankara University, University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań-Poland, Teatr Powszechny in Radom, Museum of Witold Gombrowicz in Nowa Wsola and Polish Community Association in Ankara Pol-Anka.
Graphics © Beata Zalewska
Text: Małgorzata Dorota Koloğlu