Swimming in the Dark: A Poetic Literary Debut about First Love and Political Divides

In his debut novel, SWIMMING IN THE DARK (2020) author Tomasz Jedowski (born in 1985 in the Federal Republic of Germany) writes of first love set during the political turmoil of Poland in the early 1980s as Communist leaders began an increasing desperate and despotic attempt to hold on to power. The political setting of the novel plays an important role in the events surrounding the lives of the novel’s two main characters: twenty-two-year-old Ludwik Glowacki and a fellow student, Janusz. The two first meet as university students at a summer agricultural camp and although gay and closeted, pretty much inexperienced, and more than a bit cautious, Ludwick immediately is attracted to the masculine Janusz who Ludwik sees as “a prophecy I was unable to read.” Jedowski adopts an interesting and telling narrative technique for SWIMMING IN THE DARK. Ludwik is the book’s first-person narrator throughout and the novel is written as a letter to Janusz describing Ludwik’s life before meeting Janusz and, more importantly, detailing their lives after they meet. As early as the second page of the novel Jedowski lets readers know the relationship between the two central characters is, for one reason or another, doomed as he has Ludwik write, “I don’t know whether I ever want you to read this, but I know that I need to write it. Because you’ve been on my mind for too long. Ever since the day, twelve months ago, when I got on a plane and flew through the thick layers of cloud across the ocean. A year since I saw you, a year that has felt like limbo…” As stated earlier, politics plays an important role in the novel as Ludwik finds himself growing more and more incensed over state of affairs thrust upon the Polish people by the regime of Edward Gierek. Ludwik desires greater freedom, not less, and is curious about the West where “it seems like everything is better… more beautiful. More free.” When he tries to imagine his life “in the future, in a year or so,” he can’t see anything. Janusz, however, labels Ludwik a “dreamer” and is quite content with the Communist system. He believes “there are so many chances” in Poland and “the Party cares about us,” convinced he will “figure things out” and find a way to work the system to his advantage. Along with the politics of 1980s Poland, James Baldwin’s novel, GIOVANNI’S ROOM (1956) plays an important role in SWIMMING IN THE DARK. Unpublished in Poland at the time but a work the scholarly and inquisitive Ludwik has heard of, the youth obtains an underground copy of the book and immediately identifies with the characters and the same-sex relationships of which Baldwin daringly (for the times) writes. When Janusz asks to borrow the book and Ludwik hesitantly agrees to loan it to him, the novel helps bring the two young males together even though Baldwin’s theme of the need for freedom affects Ludwik in ways it does not Janusz. Jedowski writes in a lyrical fashion while exploring the budding romantic relationship between Ludwik and Janusz as well as describing the culture of Poland at the times. Food (from the simple to the elegant), music, and the many vast social discrepancies between the haves and the have-nots are clearly on display for the reader. What is curiously lacking in the book is real passion or at least explicit descriptions of Ludwik and Janusz’s physical interactions. Ludwik’s “letter” makes it clear that the love between the two is fervent and does involve love-making, but the narrative is quick to fade out as such intimacy is about to begin and Ludwik only returns to his account after the two have consummated their various sexual interactions. Readers may be struck by this approach and are likely to wonder if the author is consciously recreating Ludwik’s timidity, whether the author is subtly signaling the eventual fate of the two, or has other rationale in mind. As beautiful and engaging as Jedowski’s writing is, it is clearly not a weakness but a deliberate choice by the author not to include the usual modern-day, no-holds-barred approach toward modern male-male romanticism or eroticism. As their lives become more and more complicated and more people become a part of their world and decisions have to be made, Jedowski keeps his novel true to life and engaging. As more challenge and danger becomes a part of the story along with some unexpected situations, so does a greater sense of melancholy and inevitability. In spite of this, there is, however, a sense of strength and determination in the final pages of SWIMMING IN THE DARK which runs counter to and overcomes any sense of sadness to the novel which is a tribute to the author’s vision for his creation. Following the novel’s end, in his Acknowledgements, Jedowski concedes writing SWIMMING IN THE DARK “was a seven-year journey.” Readers are likely to readily feel the intensive thought and labor Jedowski put into the book considering the fascinating finished product he produced and will look forward to future efforts by the author.

It’s an interesting read. Although we don’t really need yet another gay coming-out/coming-of-age story, the difference here is the compelling context of 1980s communist Poland. The writer offers an insightful take on why an everyday Pole might have bought into the system, while at the same time his lover wholly rejected it. The novel can be didactic and repetitive at times, the dialogue sometimes stilted, the grammar iffy in several places, the characters testing believability, but overall I’d recommend it.

Jedrowski mustered his good command of poetic language, captivating romance and conflict, and engaging discourse of homosexuality in authoritarian, Communist Poland. He’s great at giving off a cinematic feel for its historical context, landscapes of the foreign past, and characters subverting the corrupt system. A few bangers from the 70’s adds to the vibe as well. I liked how effectively written his characters are, especially our protagonist Ludwik, and his creative use of first and second person narratives. I am impressed coming to know that this is Tomasz Jedrowski’s debut novel. I look forward to his future works.

A gorgeous, melancholic debut. This isn't just a romance; it’s a story about the impossible choices people have to make under an oppressive government. Watching Ludwik and Janusz drift apart because of their differing views on survival was the saddest part of all. The writing is top-tier, and the historical setting felt incredibly vivid. A must-read, even if it is a "sad" one.

Clearly, you can write a book about what I didn't remember (or paid attention to) regarding Poland in the early '80s. I liked 'Swimming in the Dark'. I didn't love it. It moved along a good clip, as I finished it in one sitting. I liked the characters but I never felt completely attached to them either. I think part of this was, Ludwik and Janus didn't seem fully attached to each other. I felt how they connected was beautiful, yet how to maintain that was tricky - for them and for the reader. Navigating a relationship in a communist government could be construed as a metaphor for the barriers to any relationship, let alone your first one. Characters develop, so that is fine. Few are stagnant, but most of them have no clear conclusion. While, that is indeed life, it can make for a frustrating read. I wasn't sure why Ludwik even wrote to Janus in the first place, or why the inclusion of short tale of Ludwik's childhood friend even was included, other than to talk about Jews in communist Europe. There is no connection later to this, but, I might be quibbling. The book is well constructed and easy to read. It held my attention, and in today's fiction, sometimes that is the best thing that can be said.

This was a very emotional story. I listened to the audiobook, which added to the experience. I hope to read more from the author.

It’s just that it wasn’t enough. Getting used to the couples in a book sometimes being the same-sex is one thing, a lifetime of seeing the world through heterosexual couple’s world view was a given. Now that there are many excellent gay writers wanting to tell honest stories about real people, who just happen to be homosexual, is a huge step toward cultural and personal acceptance. Getting over the cultural induced shame is a process, incremental and not guaranteed. Acceptance of oneself, the limitations of others, and acceptance of life as it unfolds, changing what you can, not forever pushing against what you cannot change, is one way to describe a “ Coming of age” novel. Doing it in a repressed and stunted culture and country only exacerbates a difficult transition. I just finished the novel, I’m hoping a little distance and some reflection will alter how I feel about the protagonist. Hoping that time in a more liberated, more enlightened culture will alter how Ludzio approaches his future and past. I couldn’t say how I would have acquitted myself under similar conditions. At least he’s unfettered to live his life without always looking back over his shoulder, if he allows it.

As the teacher of a course that deals, in part, with the rhythm and movement of prose, I was already intrigued in the first couple of pages of this small novel by just how inviting and engaging its prose was. By its third page, I'd stopped reading to investigate who might have done such a splendid job of translating the young Polish author's original into English. Well, NOBODY did! He did it himself, right from the get-go; he wrote it in English - which just happens to be his own FIFTH language!! (Now, how does that work exactly? How can it even be the case?) The English prose is not competent, not adequate, not merely good - it's beautiful: there's not a poor or dull sentence in it anywhere - and I've read it twice. The story itself is a gut-punch, and a hard one at that. The novel has 4-5 pages of blissful happiness when two young, very poor gay guys find themselves in each other and go camping. The rest of the book is about their trying to find ways just to survive and be themselves in those last wretched years of the Soviet control of Poland. Because the story itself is so convincing and the language's rhythm and flow so engaging, there's no partial investment in this story; if you're there with them at all, you're there 100% - which makes the experience of reading it better and the realities it depicts worse. READER: be advised! I consider the book something of a minor miracle. I don't know that it's "perfect" (whatever that might mean, exactly), but it's so good that what I feel most towards it (and its author) is gratitude. Of the many good things art can do for us, reminding us that there's still more possible than we'd imagined is, for me, the best one. The author said in an interview that he'd taught himself English because, while he didn't "need" it at the time, he wanted to have it as his 'special' language, one he could escape to - and in. All I can say to that is how very glad I am that he's not keeping it for himself anymore!

1980年、ポーランド、大学生の主人公LudwikがJanuzとの出会い、珠玉の思い出、自分がゲイであること、幼い頃の祖母と母との生活、当時のソ連に大きな影響を受けるポーランドの生活を回想録のように綴った小説。主人公の行き場のない悲しみ、怒りが手に取るように伝わってくる。英語は読みやすく、文章は詩的で美しい。まるで映画を観ているように情景が浮かんでくる。でも、映画にはならないで、と思ってしまう。映画になって自分の描いている情景をぶち壊されたくないので。わずか￥294で良書に出会えて感激。

Uno de los mejores libros que he leído este año, sin duda.

Nice reading, really enjoyed it.

The story line is well described and the characters are credible. The interesting part is the fact that the story takes place beyond the iron curtain, in a country where stigma of homosexualilty is even higher because of its very religious culture. L'histoire est bien décrite et les personnages sont crédibles. La chose intéressante est le fait que cela a lieu d'hier le rideau de fer, dans un pays où la stigmatisation de l'homosexualité est même plus haute à cause de sa culture très religieuse.

Swimming in the Dark is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about love, identity, and freedom. The story is consistent and engaging from start to finish, with a moving portrayal of forbidden love under a strict society. Overall, a truly great book. I recommend it, if you want to read a moving love story, with a sense of war and freedom.