Insatiability
Encyclopedia
Insatiability is a major novel
by the Polish
writer, dramatist, philosopher, painter
and photographer, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy). Nienasycenie was written in 1927 and first published in 1930. It is his third novel, considered by many to be his best. It consists of two parts: Przebudzenie (Awakening) and Obłęd (The maddness).
modelled on the Bolshevik revolution. The nation becomes enslaved to a fictional Chinese leader Murti Bing. His emisaries give everyone a special pill called DAVAMESK B 2 which takes away their ability to think and their will to resist. East and West become one, in faceless misery fuelled by sexual instincts.
Witkiewicz's Insatiability combines chaotic action with deep philosophical and political discussion, and predicts many of the gravely events and political outcomes of the subsequent years, specifically, the invasion of Poland, the postwar foreign domination as well as the totalitarian mind control
exerted, first by the Germans, and then by the Soviet Union
on Polish life and art.
", around a discussion of Insatiability, specifically the "Murti-Bing" pill, which allows artists to contentedly conform to the demands of the equivalent of Socialist Realism
.
The novel was translated into English in 1977 by Louis Iribarne
from the University of Toronto.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
writer, dramatist, philosopher, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and photographer, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy). Nienasycenie was written in 1927 and first published in 1930. It is his third novel, considered by many to be his best. It consists of two parts: Przebudzenie (Awakening) and Obłęd (The maddness).
Description
The utopian story takes place in the future, around the year 2000. After a battle, Poland is overrun by the army of the last and final Mongol conquestsMongol Conquests
Mongol invasions progressed throughout the 13th century, resulting in the vast Mongol Empire which covered much of Asia and Eastern Europe by 1300....
modelled on the Bolshevik revolution. The nation becomes enslaved to a fictional Chinese leader Murti Bing. His emisaries give everyone a special pill called DAVAMESK B 2 which takes away their ability to think and their will to resist. East and West become one, in faceless misery fuelled by sexual instincts.
Witkiewicz's Insatiability combines chaotic action with deep philosophical and political discussion, and predicts many of the gravely events and political outcomes of the subsequent years, specifically, the invasion of Poland, the postwar foreign domination as well as the totalitarian mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
exerted, first by the Germans, and then by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on Polish life and art.
Influence and translation
Czesław Miłosz frames the first chapter of his book, "The Captive MindThe Captive Mind
The Captive Mind is a 1953 work of nonfiction by Polish writer, academic and Nobel laureate, Czesław Miłosz, translated into English by Jane Zielonko and originally published by Secker and Warburg. The book was written soon after the author received political asylum in Paris following his break...
", around a discussion of Insatiability, specifically the "Murti-Bing" pill, which allows artists to contentedly conform to the demands of the equivalent of Socialist Realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
.
The novel was translated into English in 1977 by Louis Iribarne
Louis Iribarne
Louis Iribarne is a translator, into English, of works by Witold Gombrowicz, Stanisław Lem, Czesław Miłosz, Bruno Schulz and Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz ....
from the University of Toronto.