BUMNECDOTES, LIMERICKS, AND EPITAPHS ARE SPONSORED BY THE RUSSIAN MOB

Author: Krzysztof Daukszewicz
Year: 2008 (2004)
Publisher: Ksiegarnia Bellonia
Language: Polish

Every nation has the government it deserves, if we are to believe the Sardinian philosopher and diplomat Joseph de Maistre. Equally true perhaps, and tightly linked to Maistre’s reflection, is that every nation has the comedians it needs. For Poland, such a comedian, satirist, singer, and poet is Krzysztof Daukszewicz.

He made a name for himself already during the Polish communist era, for example as a member of the legendary satiric theatre group Kabaret Pod Egida, and has continued to be a successful commentator on current affairs in various artforms on television, on stage, and in written form as a columnist and writer.

Against this backdrop, I was understandably excited about his little collection of observations and anecdotes titled “Meneliki, limeryki, epitafia, sponsoruje ruska mafia” (not available in English but a lacklustre attempt at a translation could sound like “Bumnecdotes, Limericks, and Epitaphs Are Aponsored By the Russian Mob”). The Polish word “menel” translates to bum or hobo in English, implying both homelessness and an intimate relationship to alcohol, and denotes a most commonplace phenomenon in the Polish cultural landscape. I expected a collection of both highs and lows, a goody bag of thought-provoking musings and downright daft cock-and-bull-stories from the writer’s encounters with bums around Poland intermingled with each other, and in the end something profound to tie it all together into a coherent critique of a society that aspires to be a Christian superpower but remains incapable of sparing five measly loaves of bread and two fish to feed its weakest members. All of the above would have been compatible with Daukszewicz’s work in the past.  

Regrettably, despite the inspired title, I found that my expectations were not met. True, some of the anecdotes are witty and the outsiders that Daukszewicz has met in all corners of Poland over the years are sometimes both original and eloquent, but on a whole the ambition of the book does not seem to aim beyond the occasional laugh at the expense of people who are already struggling at the bottom of society and who serve mostly as facetious conversation starters and empty validations of our own normality, much like the village idiots of yore. The limericks, of which there are significantly fewer than the bumnecdotes, rarely follow the form of traditional limericks and equally rarely end in a funny or piquant punchline. The epitaphs are sometimes unintelligible, sometimes flat, and sometimes just in poor taste.

The highlight is the ultimate section where Daukszewicz takes on the Polish governments (both the present at the time the book was published and earlier ones). In this section, some of his keen eye for the absurd and well documented knack for undressing power come to the fore. The final entry, “Abridged minutes of the investigative committee” is actually brilliant in both form and execution.

All in all, “Meneliki, limeryki, epitafia, sponsoruje ruska mafia” is a quick and light read which unfortunately misses the mark. It does not reflect the inimitable sense of humour and sharp satirical pen of Krzysztof Daukszewicz’s who has produced significantly more powerful work both before and after this collection.