Gombrowicz left Poland in 1939 on the maiden voyage of the steamship Chrobry
"The key turn in Gombrowicz's life took place in 1939. In August, he agreed to travel on the inaugural journey of the Polish cruise liner Chrobry to Buenos Aires to participate in a cultural road show for the prewar Polish government. Then Hitler invaded Poland on Sept. 1, starting World War II."
(Carlin Romano, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sep. 12, 2007)
The Chrobry's First and Last Voyage
The Chrobry, named after a Polish king (Boleslaw Chrobry), was built for the South American Line. The new ship could carry 1100 passengers (350 regular passengers plus 750 additional if needed for very basic passenger’s and immigrant’s space).
Its inaugural trip as a passenger and immigrant vessel was to be its last. The war broke while the Chrobry was docked in Buenos Aires. The captain was ordered to head immediately to England, and the Chrobry was turned into a warship for troop transport. On May 13th 1940, the ship came under attack from German bombers and was sunk.
The Chrobry Passenger List
In August 1939, young Polish writers Witold Marian Gombrowicz and Czeslaw Straszewicz were invited by the Polish ship industry to travel to Argentina in order to publicize the first transatlantic voyage of the liner Chrobry.