The Review of Contemporary Fiction
His Current Woman by Jerzy PilchBrian Budzynski
Jerzy Pilch. His Current Woman. Trans. Bill Johnston. Northwestern Univ. Press, 2002. 131 pp. Paper: $15.95.
His Current Woman is comic, and yes, farce does ensue. But what constitutes plot—a Polish veterinarian hiding his latest tryst, along with everything she owns, in the attic of the family slaughterhouse, away from the eyes of his loveless wife and suspicious mother—is more the first inning of a misguided and involuntary game of self-discovery than a scenario of absurdity to create humor for humor’s sake. Dr. Kohoutek is trapped in a world of his own creation—rooted in a marriage that sold its passion years ago for material comforts; perpetually leashed by a household matriarchy that is slowly growing senile; forced (he feels) to seek pleasure and companionship in other women. But this novel is hardly misadventure. Misadventure bespeaks a comedy of coincidence, of random events that spiral on their own. Control, in this novel, is always apparent, whether it is wielded by the doctor’s wife, his mother, his stingy, critical grandmother, or his current woman. Even his profession was imposed upon him: “Kohoutek has the distinct impression that the profession of veterinarian was chosen for him long before he was born.” The crux of this novel is not for how long Kohoutek can keep his current woman a secret or what happens when he is found out, but whether the appearance of her in his doorway, demanding the life he promised her, will finally force a resolution to his internal conflicts over who he is and what he ultimately wants. That this novel is truly hilarious at times is just a bonus. Pilch is a wonderfully descriptive writer, and we can hope that the rest of his body of work comes into English soon. His Current Woman is an enjoyable little book that whets the appetite for more. [Brian Budzynski]