Novels
“People are born against their will, die against their will, and they can’t seem to find much joy in between,” said Marek Hłasko in his 1958 radio interview. Hłasko was born on January 14th, 1934. One of the many tales surrounding his life says that during his baptism in the Warsaw Church of the Holy Redeemer when asked if he renounced the evil spirit, newborn Marek answered “No”. Hłasko left school at sixteen, working as a truck driver, logger, and store clerk before turning to writing. His first stories, published in the mid-1950s, were gritty, realistic portrayals of working-class life, including his acclaimed debut novella "The Eighth Day of the Week". By 1956, he was considered one of Poland’s most promising young writers. However, his stark portrayals of post-war disillusionment led to conflicts with the communist authorities; he faced censorship and, eventually, exile. In 1958, Hłasko left Poland with official permission, but after speaking critically about the Polish government abroad, he was stripped of his citizenship. He spent the next decade wandering through Europe and the Middle East, struggling to find stability, while continuing to write. He repeatedly requested to be allowed back into Poland, but all his claims were consistently denied. In 1964, he wrote "All Backs Were Turned", a raw and brutal story of passion, violence, and betrayal set in the Israeli town of Eilat. His writing style was characterized by a raw, unvarnished tone and sharp dialogue. His sentences, often long and winding, mirrored the chaos and despair of the lives he portrayed. “It is obvious to me that I am a product of war times, starvation, and terror; it is the reason for the intellectual poverty of my stories. Simply, I cannot think up a story that does not end in death, prison, or suicide.” Hłasko eventually made his way to the United States in the 1960s, where he was briefly connected with the Hollywood scene and worked as a screenwriter. Despite completing many successful screenplays and developing his passion for flying, he never fully adapted to life in exile. He continued to grapple with alcoholism and his writing became more desolate. In December 1968, after a night of heavy drinking, he playfully pushed his close friend, the acclaimed composer Krzysztof Komeda, off an escarpment. As a result, Komeda developed a brain hematoma and died four months later. Hłasko was to say: "If Krzysztof dies, I'll go along". Hłasko died on June 14th, 1969, alone in a hotel room in Wiesbaden, Germany at the age of 35. Whether it was against his will or with his approval, we will never know, but the mixture of alcohol and sedative pills took his short life away. "Keep The Rice Burning" is his last completed novel. In 1975, Hłasko’s ashes were taken back to Poland, finally putting him to rest in the country he so longed for. On the grave, his mother Maria inscribed: “His life was short, and All Backs Were Turned.” And so, I ask you to turn back around and turn the page.