Bruno Jasieński And I Burn Paris: The Great Polish Futurist And Catastrophist

Widely considered a demoralising influence on Polish youth, even today, and banned after its initial serialisation in France’s L’Humanite, Jasienski’s most famous work remains largely uncelebrated. Years ahead of its time the Futurist masterpiece I Burn Paris is a hallucinatory depiction of a Paris ravaged by man, machine and disease. Disorientating and challenging, unashamed in its relentless attack on capitalism and staunch defense of socialism, I Burn Paris was defined by its political significance. It’s the politics that gave rise to infamy, and the politics that lead to success: to hero status and to tragedy. 85 years after its initial publication and despite the continued controversy, it has been translated to reach a wider audience who are still coming to grips with austerity, more politically informed, and perhaps ready to see past the politics and embrace the Futurist artist.
Born Wiktor Zysman in 1901, Bruno Jasieński was a prolific writer whose poetry is renowned for its staccato dynamism, absurdity, and horrified wonderment, particularly in works such as Song Of Hunger (1922). In addition to poetry, Jasieński was also recognized for a series of manifestos, such as To The Polish Nation: A Manifesto on the Immediate Futurization of Life (1921). However, by 1925 Jasieński’s poetry readings were banned; after one such reading, he was stoned by his audience. His scandalous reputation found him unemployable in academic circles. It is almost inconceivable for us to imagine a poetry reading being banned now, but Jasieński’s world was still coming to terms with the First World War. Europe was a cautious and reactionary continent due to the complex dynamics of its politics, and Poland was no exception. Facing charges for blasphemy and an impending stint of 20 months compulsory military service, Jasieński was left with no choice but to flee to France.

Settling in Paris in the early 1920s, Jasienki supported his creative endeavors with freelance work for one of Poland’s first tabloid newspapers, The New Age. He took on a prominent role with the Polish Worker’s Theatre, where he directed adaptations of some of his poems, and continued to produce radical works. In 1928, and years ahead of its time, Jasieński released his capitalist baiting masterpiece I Burn Paris, the novel that would seal his reputation as a Futurist. The text caused instantaneous scandal. Readers were shocked by its portrayal of a Paris that is rife with child prostitution, racism, poverty, the exploitation of the worker, the greed of the bourgeoisie, and the widespread insanity that these influences give rise to. Disorientating and challenging, unashamed in its relentless attack on capitalism and staunch defense of socialism, I Burn Paris was defined by its politics. Terrified by its seemingly communist sympathies, French authorities perceived I Burn Paris as an attack on Western European culture, on capitalism and democracy, and on France itself.

Despite the tragedy of Jasieński’s death and the part he played in what now appears as an inevitable downfall, we must not disregard the work of Poland’s great Futurist; his work preceded other great Futurist-inspired novels such as William Burroughs’s The Nova Trilogy or J.G. Ballard’s Crash. It challenged existing attitudes to society’s ills, it teased and stimulated. With beautiful lucidity, it depicted a world where madness is systemic, encouraged, and cultivated to imprison us all. But this great work remains largely uncelebrated. 85 years after its initial publication, I Burn Paris should not be feared, but rather embraced and placed alongside other classic metropolitan nightmares. It has now been translated to reach a wider audience – one that is more politically informed, and perhaps ready to see past the politics and embrace Jasieński, Poland’s great Futurist artist.