The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma

This satirical novel, published in 1932, was one of the most successful Polish novels of the interwar period. (I read this in Google translation — it turned up some oddities but I have studied Polish part-time for a few years and was able to get my head around many of those peculiar renderings). The central character, Nicodemus Dyzma, has come to Warsaw from a small town in eastern Poland in the hope of finding employment. He stumbles across an invitation to a high-class party and decides to go along for the food. At the party he impresses a wealthy landowner who offers him the job of manager of his estate. Through his opportunism, often ruthless, Dyzma becomes more and more influential and almost lands the job of prime minister. Official rumour has it that he was educated at Oxford but he's unable to speak English!

The author, Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz (born 10 August 1898), grew up in the Polish village of Okuniewo in what is today Belarus. He went to secondary school in Wilno (today the Lithuanian capital Vilnius) and then to university in Kiev. In 1918 he moved to Warsaw and served in the army during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921. After he was demobilised in 1922, he began writing for newspapers and in 1925 he started work as a journalist on the Warsaw daily Rzeczpospolita (Republic). Soon he had some short stories published and they proved popular. He quit journalism to devote his time to writing fiction. His first novel was published in 1930 and after the success of The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma, he became prolific and prosperous as a novelist. On the outbreak of the Second World War he was mobilised and was commanding officer defending a bridge at Kuty in southeastern Poland when he was killed in action on 20 September 1939.

Although the central character has fairly innocent intentions at the start of the novel, he becomes more menacing as he becomes corrupted by his increasing power and influence. In Chapter 13, fearing his political status is in danger, his hired hitmen murder an opponent with brutal violence:
“He was hit with a powerful blow by a solid fist to his nose and upper lip. At the same time he received a blow to the back of the head and a strong kick to the stomach... He cried out and rolled into the gutter...
The attackers, however, didn't consider their work to be done. One leaned over the fallen and banged his fists into the stomach and chest; the other ran up and with his heels kicked two terrible blows into the face... He clicked open his folding knife and silently pushed the long, broad blade into the body. Once, twice, three times.” The medical examination of the body reported “death due to puncture of the heart with a sharp instrument... and due to blood loss and skull fractures. As a result of “the complete crushing of the face” it proved difficult to determine the identity of the victim. The ability to carry out such severe violence without compunction was probably learnt in war.