THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BRUNO

SCHULZ

By Paulina Juszczak and Karolina Zarzycka

INTRODUCTION

This presentation gives an insight into the life and legacy

of Bruno Schulz, a writer and fine artist. The year 2012

marked the 70th anniversary of Schulz's death and the

120th anniversary of his birth. He was one of the most

interesting and unfortunately one of the most forgotten

artists of the 20th century. Schulz, a Polish writer of Jewish

origin, lived and worked in the town of Drohobych (now in

Ukraine), which was a powerful inspiration for his graphical

and literary works. The aim of this presentation is to

present a profile of the artist and encourage the audience

to familiarize themselves with his works. 

BRUNO SCHULZ

The year 2012 marks the 120th anniversary of Schulz’s birth and the 70th anniversary of his death.

He was born and spent most of his life in

Drohobych in today’s western Ukraine. His parents,

Jakub and Henrietta Schulz were Polish Jews. The

Schulz family owned a cloth store in Drohobych.

SCHULZ’S HOUSE

Schulz studied architecture at

the Lviv Polytechnic and the

University of Vienna. After his

graduation he was employed as

an arts teacher in a school in

Drohobych though he is said not

to have liked the job. What is

more, his adult life was often

perceived by outsiders as that

of a hermit; uneventful and

enclosed.

In 1939, after the Nazi–Soviet

invasion of Poland in World War

II, Drohobych was occupied by

the Soviet Union. Following the

German invasion of the Soviet

Union, as a Jew, he was forced to

live in the ghetto of Drohobych,

but was temporarily protected by

Felix Landau, a Nazi Gestapo

officer who admired his drawings.

During the last weeks of his life, Schulz painted a

mural in Landau's home in Drohobych. Shortly after

completing the work, Schulz was walking home

through the "Aryan quarter" with a loaf of bread

when he was shot and killed by another Gestapo

officer, Karl Günther. Subsequently, Schulz's mural

was painted over and forgotten for a long time to

come.

SHULZ’S WRITINGS

The Street of Crocodiles was the first published work

by Schulz. It is a collection of short stories set before

the First World War. It tells the story of the life of a

merchant family from a small town which in many

respects resembles Drohobych. One of the most

interesting observations Schulz makes in the

collection is the clash between the 19th and 20th

century which is slowly getting to Drohobych,

portrayed in the story entitled "The Street of

Crocodiles".

The Street of Crocodiles was an inspiration for the

filmmakers, brothers Quay to shoot a short animated movie

under the same title. The movie perfectly resembles the

atmosphere of the stories, which is somewhat dark and as if

verging on a dream. And it is essentially the atmosphere

that makes Schulz’s prose so unusual and fascinating.

Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass is the

second collection of Schulz’s stories and it is again

set in a town that resembles Drohobych, and tells

the story of a Jewish merchant family. What is

interesting in this case is that Schulz himself created

illustrations for this volume.

Bruno Schulz is considered one of the most original and

forgotten artists of the 20th century. His vivid

imagination, a special atmosphere of his writings, as well

as his graphic works could earn him a place among the

most widely admired artists. To popularize and give

justice to his work a joint project was organized in Poland

and Ukraine in 2012: W strone Schulza - Towards Schulz.

It was a series of events and exhibitions organized

across Poland and Ukraine.

TOWARDS SCHULZ

THE STREET OF CROCODILES

“Among the houses the crowds stream by. The street is as

broad as a city boulevard, but the roadway is made, like

village squares, of beaten clay, full of puddles and

overgrown with grass. The street traffic of that area is a

byword in the city; all its inhabitants speak about it with

pride and a knowing look. That gray, impersonal crowd is

rather self-conscious of its role, eager to live up to its

metropolitan aspirations

All the same, despite the bustle and sense of purpose, one

has the impression of a monotonous aimless wandering, of

a sleepy procession of puppets. An atmosphere of strange

insignificance pervades the scene. The crowd flows lazily by

and, strange to say, one can see it only indistinctly; the

figures pass in gentle disarray, never reaching complete

sharpness of outline. Only at times do we catch among the

turmoil of many heads a dark vivacious look, a black bowler

hat worn at an angle, half a face split by a smile formed by

lips which had just finished speaking, a foot thrust forward

to take a step and fixed forever in that position.” .— Bruno

Schulz, The Street of Crocodiles

DISCUSSION

How would you characterize the

atmosphere of the town described by

Schulz?

How would you describe the people and

their daily actions?

Do you think this passage, written almost

eighty years ago, could describe a

contemporary town? Why?