Being There (novel)
| Being There | |
|---|---|
 First edition | |
| Author | Jerzy Kosinski |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace |
Publication date | 1970 |
| Pages | 141 |
| ISBN | 0-370-01453-7 |
| Preceded by | Steps |
| Followed by | The Devil Tree |
Being There is a satirical novel by the Polish born writer Jerzy Kosinski, first published in 1970.[1] Set in America, the story concerns Chance, a simple gardener who unwittingly becomes a much sought after political pundit and commentator on the vagaries of the modern world.
A film based on the book was made in 1979 for which Kosinski co-wrote the screenplay with Robert C. Jones.
Background
When Jerzy Kosinski published Being There – wrote historian Monika Adamczyk-Garbowska – "most Polish critics immediately recognized [his book] as a version of Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy (Nikodem Dyzma's Career) by Tadeusz Dolega-Mostowicz, a very popular novel from the interwar period, and Kosinki was again accused of plagiarism." The authorship controversy was a repetition of an earlier case of his first novel called The Painted Bird published in 1965, and plagiarized from detailed, unembellished depiction of life and custom of village folk by Polish ethnographer Henryk Biegeleisen.[2]
References
- ↑ eNotes.com, copy-paste excerpts from: 1971 and 1973 periodicals including Times Supplement (1971), Chicago Review (1973), Harper's (1973), Critique (1973), Hudson Review (1973), and Books and Bookmen (1973). Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ Monika Adamczyk-Grabowska (2001). "The Role of Polish Language and Literature". The Hidden Isaac Bashevis Singer by Seth L. Wolitz. University of Texas Press. p. 137. ISBN 029279147X. Retrieved December 2, 2012.