Letter from Czeslaw Milosz to Zdzislaw Najder, V 1967.

[CzeslawMilosz ]. Handwritten letter from Czeslaw Milosz to Zdzislaw Najder, dated. May 12, 1967 in La Colle-sur-Loup, Provence.
Double-sided letter on 4 pages form. 23.2x15.8 cm. In the letter the subject of a certain misunderstanding between the parties to the correspondence recurs, Miłosz attempts to alleviate the conflict. Without knowing its details, it is difficult to find the context of the passage: "I think Słowacki better than Baka, however. I also think that Polish poetry exists, only that in recent years it has begun to exist too much for me, under the influence of the professional distortions of the professor-propagandist." Miłosz devotes a separate paragraph to Gombrowicz. He writes, among other things: "Underneath Gombrowicz's ramblings, however, there is a tremendous rigor of thought and a whole elaborate plan to stand firm in the face of an overly pressing world. My position on various issues is quite different [...]. e.g. my attitude to Poland is not based on the presence or absence of 'masterpieces,' rather on continuity, on such phenomena as 16th century Protestantism, etc. and ultimately Pasek and Sienkiewicz are not for me what Poland 'contributed.' Besides, Gombrowicz really worships the talent of Sienkiewicz and here we would argue." The letter's author asks Najder for his opinion on a textbook on the history of Polish literature that is in the pipeline. He concludes the letter with a mention: "Wigry! But I doubt if there are still those forests there, completely empty, where, having taken a canoe to the shore, one did not meet a living soul for a whole day." Staying temporarily in Provence, he gives the headquarters of the Literary Institute in Maison-Lafitte as his return address. Traces of folding, very good condition.