THE POLISH COMPLEX

The Polish Complex takes place on Christmas Eve, from early morning untillate in the evening, as a line of people (including the narrator, whosename is Konwicki) stand and wait in front of a jewelry store in Warsaw.Through the narrator we are told of what happens among those standing inline outside this store, what happens as the narrator's mind thinks andrants about the current state of Poland, and what happens as he imaginesthe failed Polish rebellion of 1863. The novel's form allows Konwicki(both character and author) to roam around and through Poland's past andpresent, and to range freely through whatever comes to his attention. Byturns comic, lyrical, despairing, and liberating, The Polish Complexstands as one of the most important novels to have come out of Polandsince World War II.