The Street of Crocodiles
Encyclopedia
The Street of Crocodiles is a 1934 collection
of short stories
written by Bruno Schulz
. First published in Polish, the collection was translated into English by Celina Wieniewska in 1963.
All Debora Vogel's efforts to have Schultz's works published were in vain. It was only after a well-known and respected writer Zofia Nałkowska, from whom Schultz had sought help, expressed her support for him that the work was published in 1933.
One of the most significant characters in the work is the Father, who is not only the head of the family, a merchant running a textile shop in the marketplace, but also a mad experimenter endowed with superhuman abilities, a demiurge living between life and death, between the world of the real and the imaginary. Despite the literary fascination with the character of the Father displayed by Schulz, it is Józef who he renders the protagonist, as well as the narrator of the work. In the character of this young boy, eagerly discovering the world that surrounds him, many of Schulz's own traits are clearly visible.
s. The metaphors perform diverse functions; the writer brings inanimate objects into existence and presents people as animals. He uses multiple complex sentences, employs unfamiliar, old-fashioned and long forgotten words as well as scientific (e.g. biological) terminology. These techniques caught the attention of and were discussed already by first critics of Schulz, including Tadeusz Breza.
and Adolf Nowaczyński. The majority of critics valued the work mainly due to its linguistic features, yet there were also some (e.g. Witkacy) who were enthralled by the metaphysical aspects of the stories. The work was frequently mentioned as one of the nominees for the award of the weekly literary magazine Wiadomości Literackie. However, there were some negative and reproachful reviews as well, produced mainly by the rightist and leftist press, which disapproved of the avant-garde
nature of the work. Schulz’s writing was criticized in the negative reviews for "mannerism" and "uselessness."
stop-motion animation, Street of Crocodiles
, is based on the book. The work was also adapted, in 1992, as a stage play, by Theatre de Complicite
. This latter adaptation was first staged in August 1992 at the Cottesloe Theatre at the National Theatre
in London
; it toured throughout 1992 and 1993 and was nominated for four Olivier Awards
.
Jonathan Safran Foer
's Tree of Codes is an adaptation of "Street of Crocodiles
" in the tradition of Tom Phillips
's book, A Humument
. Safran Foer cut words from "Street of Crocodiles" in order to create his own story.
1934 in literature
The year 1934 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Flash Gordon comic strip is published.*Boris Pasternak and Korney Chukovsky are among those present at the first Congress of the Soviet Union of Writers....
of short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by Bruno Schulz
Bruno Schulz
Bruno Schulz was a Polish writer, fine artist, literary critic and art teacher born to Jewish parents, and regarded as one of the great Polish-language prose stylists of the 20th century. Schulz was born in Drohobycz, in the province of Galicia then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and spent...
. First published in Polish, the collection was translated into English by Celina Wieniewska in 1963.
Origins and publication
Schulz's earliest literary endeavors can probably be dated back to 1925. They included rough drafts of the short stories, later published in the collection The Street of Crocodiles, which the writer used to send to his friends Władysław Riff and Debora Vogel. Although it was already in 1928 that Schultz wrote the short story A July Night, it was included in the second volume entitled Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass which was published in 1937.All Debora Vogel's efforts to have Schultz's works published were in vain. It was only after a well-known and respected writer Zofia Nałkowska, from whom Schultz had sought help, expressed her support for him that the work was published in 1933.
Title
The original title of the collection can be literally translated into English as "Cinnamon Shops." There is also a short story with the same title included in the collection. Cinnamon shops mentioned by the narrator of the story are situated in the centre of the town where the narrator lives.Plot
The collection tells the story of a merchant family from a small Galician town which resembles the writer's home town, Drohobycz, in many respects. The story abounds in mythical elements, introduced by means of the visionary and dreamlike literary depiction (e.g. frequently occurring motif of labyrinth), characteristic of the writer. It is thus mythologized reality, processed by the imagination, artistically distorted and enriched by all possible references and allusions to other literary works, to great myths, to other, more exotic domains of reality.One of the most significant characters in the work is the Father, who is not only the head of the family, a merchant running a textile shop in the marketplace, but also a mad experimenter endowed with superhuman abilities, a demiurge living between life and death, between the world of the real and the imaginary. Despite the literary fascination with the character of the Father displayed by Schulz, it is Józef who he renders the protagonist, as well as the narrator of the work. In the character of this young boy, eagerly discovering the world that surrounds him, many of Schulz's own traits are clearly visible.
Language
The language adopted by Schulz is rich and unique, marked by various eccentric sequences of metaphorMetaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
s. The metaphors perform diverse functions; the writer brings inanimate objects into existence and presents people as animals. He uses multiple complex sentences, employs unfamiliar, old-fashioned and long forgotten words as well as scientific (e.g. biological) terminology. These techniques caught the attention of and were discussed already by first critics of Schulz, including Tadeusz Breza.
Criticism
The short story collection was well received by such writers and literary critics as Leon Piwiński, Tadeusz Breza (he defined Schulz's writing as uniquely beautiful and the true essence of poetry), Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Antoni Słonimski, Julian TuwimJulian Tuwim
Julian Tuwim , sometimes used pseudonym "Oldlen" when writing song lyrics. He was a Polish poet, born in Łódź, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, of Jewish parents, and educated in Łódź and Warsaw where he studied law and philosophy at Warsaw University...
and Adolf Nowaczyński. The majority of critics valued the work mainly due to its linguistic features, yet there were also some (e.g. Witkacy) who were enthralled by the metaphysical aspects of the stories. The work was frequently mentioned as one of the nominees for the award of the weekly literary magazine Wiadomości Literackie. However, there were some negative and reproachful reviews as well, produced mainly by the rightist and leftist press, which disapproved of the avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
nature of the work. Schulz’s writing was criticized in the negative reviews for "mannerism" and "uselessness."
Titles of the short stories
- August
- Visitation
- Birds
- Tailors' Dummies
- Treatise on Tailors' Dummies or the Second Book of Genesis
- Treatise on Tailors' Dummies: Continuation
- Treatise on Tailors' Dummies: Conclusion
- Nimrod
- Pan
- Mr. Charles
- Cinnamon Shops
- The Street of Crocodiles
- Cocroaches
- The Gale
- The Night of the Great Season
- The Comet
Adaptations
A 1986 Brothers QuayBrothers Quay
Stephen and Timothy Quay are American identical twin brothers better known as the Brothers Quay or Quay Brothers. They are influential stop-motion animators...
stop-motion animation, Street of Crocodiles
Street Of Crocodiles
Street of Crocodiles is a 21-minute-long stop-motion animation short subject directed and produced by the Brothers Quay and released in 1986....
, is based on the book. The work was also adapted, in 1992, as a stage play, by Theatre de Complicite
Complicite
The British theatre company Complicite was founded in 1983 by Simon McBurney, Annabel Arden, and Marcello Magni. Its original name was Théâtre de Complicité. "The Company's inimitable style of visual and devised theatre [has] an emphasis on strong, corporeal, poetic and surrealist image supporting...
. This latter adaptation was first staged in August 1992 at the Cottesloe Theatre at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; it toured throughout 1992 and 1993 and was nominated for four Olivier Awards
Laurence Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Award is presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Named after the renowned British actor Laurence Olivier, they are given for West End shows and other productions staged in London...
.
Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer is an American author best known for his novels Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...
's Tree of Codes is an adaptation of "Street of Crocodiles
Street Of Crocodiles
Street of Crocodiles is a 21-minute-long stop-motion animation short subject directed and produced by the Brothers Quay and released in 1986....
" in the tradition of Tom Phillips
Tom Phillips
Thomas Phillips was an English painter.Thomas Phillips or Tom Phillips may also refer to:-Culture:* Sir Thomas Phillipps , British antiquary and book collector...
's book, A Humument
A Humument
A Humument: A treated Victorian novel is an altered book by British artist Tom Phillips, first published in 1970. It is a piece of art created over W H Mallock's 1892 novel A Human Document whose title results from the partial deletion of the original title: A Human document.Phillips drew, painted,...
. Safran Foer cut words from "Street of Crocodiles" in order to create his own story.
External links
.- ISBN 978-0140186253 — Penguin 20th Century Classics edn.