Cele șapte ceasornice ale groparului Joachim Rybka

by Gustaw Morcinek, Tudor Mușatescu (Translator), Teodor Holban (Translator)

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Born Augustyn Morcinek, he was a Polish writer, educator and later member of Sejm from 1952 to 1957. He is considered one of the most important writers from Silesia.

Wikipedia info: Gustaw Morcinek

Reviews

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"cand [...] cei vii se cearta dincolo de zidurile cimitirului si cauta sa se inece unii pe altii intr-o lingura de apa, zambesc ingaduitor si ii dezleg de pacate. Oameni sunt, ce poti sa faci?"

[Nicoleta]

În traducerea lui Tudor Mușatescu și Teodor Holban.
"După ce termin de îngropat un răposat şi după ce pleacă toţi cioclii, mă aşez pe un mormînt alăturea, îmi aprind luleaua şi-mi bat joc de toată lumea. Rîd şi de răposat, şi de cei care au plîns în urma sicriului, şi de organist, care cîntă ca oaia cînd behăie, şi de inscripţia de pe crucea care va fi aşezată pe mormînt. Nimic nu poate fi mai caraghios decît inscripţiile astea, fiindcă în cuprinsul lor se află cele mai sfruntate minciuni şi cea mai grosolană înşelăciune.

Oamenilor le plac însă asemenea minciuni şi asemenea înşelăciuni. Altfel, viaţa ar fi foarte tristă şi fără nici un chichirez. Şi oamenii nu vor ca viaţa lor să fie nici tristă, şi nici fără nici un chichirez."

[Nona · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolute gem! There are moments when you find such beautiful pieces of literature in the most random ways (ok, bookstagram is not exactly random, but such books are not exactly the norm on social media) and I'll forever be grateful to the person who came up with the recommendation.

Because not only does this novel have one of the most gorgeous beginnings I've ever read, it's also such a beautiful piece of literature. Joachim Rybka - grave-digger, former miner, former soldier, traveler - is a collector of watches. He doesn't buy them, doesn't search the world for them. They are special, but not because of their material value, but because each came to him after a certain event in his life, either as a gift, or as a memento. Joachim sits on a gravestone and remembers his life, through these watches that tick away hidden in his closet. Each story is a memory of a particular time in his life, be it his childhood, his first love, his days as a soldier in the Austrian army or as a donkey herder on a Croatian island...

Joachim Rybka tells his life's story with the voice of a simple man, yet there's the kind of poetry you only find in the countryside, touched by melancholy and bubbly humor. Each chapter can be read as a separate tale, but the entire novel, once all connections are made, is absolutely enchanting. A piece of life which is also a piece of history revolving WWI, showing life in Poland and the multicultural Austro-Hungarian empire.

[Radu Cristian Neagoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of seven watches, either tragic, romantic, scary, which might completely immerse you. I found it by chance in my grandparents' library and gave it ago, needless to say there was less sleep for about a week or so, during the summer vacation.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frumos! Conține și istorie. Recomand! 🫶🏻