The Lotus and the Mud

From Henryk Skolimowski: ''I was born in a wrong country and at a wrong time. To have been born in the interwar period in Poland -- when the two giants (Germany and the Soviet Russia) were soon to smash us, one after another -- was not an auspicious occasion. Yet, I have survived, and even tried to sculpt out of the magma of circumstances a sculpture of my own life, which I cherish and am proud of. I think I have been a significant witness of the chaos and craziness of the 20th century Western Civilization. For all its pitfalls, unfulfilled promises, dark hours of the soul -- and even tragedies -- life is glorious. I have had my share of agonies in life. But what I mainly wanted to share in this autobiography is the glory of life.''