Chapter 1, The Pill of Murti-Bing Summary and Analysis

Marxian philosophy affected many people in Europe. Since there had been hundreds of philosophers over the centuries, Marx could have been considered one of many, and passed with time. A two volume book called Insatiability, written by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, was read in Warsaw in 1932. The book portrayed the decay in society through its main characters who had no meaning in their life. They begin ingesting Murti-Bingo pills, which changed their lives and gave them a sense of meaning and happiness. Then war broke out and the Eastern army based on Murti-Bingism, won. But the people found they could not overcome their past personalities and as a result they became schizophrenic. The author committed suicide when he learned that the Red Army had entered Poland.

Milosz makes many comparisons between the situation in...