Narcotics

A cover for Narkotyki (Narcotics) by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz aka Witkacy - a particularly colourful representative of the polish interwar avant-garde scene. Painter, writer, philosopher, photographer, womaniser, socialite - he was a man of many talents and as many addictions. His perhaps most recognised branch of work would be the portraits that he meticulously marked with code-names of the substances that he happened to be under influence of while painting them.
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The book was written when he was already well into his 40s, mature and worn by his intense lifestyle. Witkacy makes an effort to describe (and discredit) 5 drugs that he did not abstain from throughout his life. Frustration evident in his writing, he passes harsh judgement on society and those who indulge in said substances. As he uses his own experiences as a foundation of the book, this is clearly also Witkacy’s way to confront his own demons.
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And although sometimes the book gets too internal, Witkacy’s self-loathing (as well as denial) almost tangible, most of his observations are painfully acute. So acute, in some cases, that it was actually this book that prompted me to…
STOP SMOKING AFTER 10 FREAKIN’ YEARS.