The present article opens (chapter ‘The Beginning') with a brief introduction into Teodor Parnicki's literary creativity. Next (chapter ‘Parnicki's realistic attitude'), as based on a dialogue between two concrete literary texts, i.e. ‘Cleopatra's Other Life [Inne życie Kleopatry]' by Teodor Parnicki and ‘The Count of Monte Christo' by Alexander Dumas, it shows a deep embedding of Parnicki's narration into historical, economical and social reality. Such clear, almost earthbound view is no obstacle to express a dream of abandoning history or slipping out of it (chapter ‘Escape from History?'). Regrettably (chapter ‘Parnickological Sorrows'), desire of escape proves to be inevitalby literary, unrealistic and purely verbal. Parnicki merely takes delight in unmasking artificiality of art, hindering a nice story (e.g. on Cleopatra's meeting with Christ). The sense of writing strategy is revealed in the last chapter ‘Hideous, however crucial question: what is going on?' The reading is only to experience worthlessness of things and words. Nothingness in Parnicki's view is not knowledge but rather experience that needs to be reiterated. This attitude moves him closer to the mystics, nonetheless it is different from their in how one can overcome nothingness.