Notebooks of a Dilettante

The dilettante’s notes are the notes of an extremely intelligent and observant man. They begin with the sentence: I came to America by sea, which many people questioned as an advertising trick, and yet Tyrmand actually came to America. His ticket to the ship is still preserved in his archive at the Hoover Institution. Tyrmand had an incredible ability to turn his life into literature. Diary 1954 and Social and emotional life masterfully described the fate of the Polish People’s Republic, Filip presented his stay in Frankfurt during the war. The dilettante’s notes tell about the America he saw after escaping from Poland. They are witty, brilliant, erudite and initially full of admiration for America. Soon, however, the writer began to notice that Americans, especially intellectuals, like spoiled children, do not appreciate the benefits of the democracy in which they live. Accustomed to taking full advantage of freedom, not believing that they can lose it, they are easily fascinated by utopian ideas, not realizing the dangers they conceal. Reading Notes of a Dilettante, unfortunately, turns out to be as relevant today as it was in the past, but the author’s statements do not necessarily apply only to America.