BAKAKAÏ

Twelve terribly delicious short stories by the master of the strange are brought together in this Denoël & d’Ailleurs publication. A man is bullied by a notable in a queue. He develops a sick obsession with this intruder. An examining magistrate is invited to an acquaintance’s house. He soon starts bullying the members of the household. A young girl is attacked with a brick by a vagrant. She then begins to show unexpected urges. A countess organises popular meatless lunches. But during one meal, the guests’ behaviour seems out of control.

These short stories, written between the wars and often borrowing from fairy tales, demonstrate Witold Gombrowicz’s great virtuosity in creating whimsical and disturbing worlds that make a mockery of the bourgeoisie, religion and the family. To illustrate the strange and the unreasonable, Bakakaï’s signature takes on the full extension of its cover. In bright red, the capitals burst out all over the place, almost colliding, giving the impression of underlying tension.