Gamma, the Slave of History Summary and Analysis

Milosz first met the character he calls Gamma in his hometown of Vilna in a building of the University in 1931. Gamma was an anti-Semite and their first meeting involved a discussion of the subject. Gamma had a sense of superiority. Milosz saw Gamma again in 1949, when he was the Polish ambassador to a Western nation. He was living in an ornate palace and enjoyed the nightlife of the Western capitol. Inside, Gamma was not happy.

One of Gamma's functions was to turn in Poles who he felt were not loyal to Warsaw. He would act like he sympathized with them and convince them to return to Warsaw with him to settle their differences. As soon as he delivered the individual to the authorities in Warsaw, Gamma would leave.

Back in Vilna, Gamma was...