
Description
The book provides a connection to seldom discussed aspects of the Holocaust: the gulf between rich and poor Jews and how this translated into everyday survival; the refusal by Alex to see himself or Jews in general as heroes or victims; his own self-absorption as a teen in the ghetto; and his "priviliged" family's near-indifference to the suffering of those around them. Alex paints a picture of complex and diverse Jewish society in prewar Poland, revealing how, many years later and despite his determine to leave it in the past, the burdens of memory--and the dreams--linger.
Product Details
Publisher | Northwestern University Press |
Publish Date | December 31, 2004 |
Pages | 133 |
Language | English |
Type | |
EAN/UPC | 9780810118140 |
Dimensions | 8.7 X 5.6 X 0.5 inches | 0.6 pounds |
About the Author
REGINA GROL is a professor of Comparative Literature at Empire State College, State University of New York and a specialist in Polish literature. She is the translator and editor of Ambers Aglow: An Anthology of Contemporary Polish Women's Poetry 1985-1995, (Host, 1997).
"ALEX" emigrated to the United States after World War II. He now lives on the East Coast where he works as a computer systems analyst.
Reviews
"This book is a find! Alex's haunting memories, almost teased out of him by Wiszniewicz are an important part of the story Jewish life and of post-Holocaust survival." --Madeline G. Levine, Kenan Professor of Slavic Literatures, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"This is a splendid book. Its hero, Alex, is not one frequently encountered in the vast post-Holocaust literature. Born in 1927, his family was an unlikely combination of Orthodox Jews, Zionists, and Polish patriots--that is, hihgly assimilated Jews, but Jews nevertheless. Alex describes his harrowing experiences during and after the war without any sentimentality or rancor, but with impressive candor. Wiszniewicz's book is that rare thing--noble, wise, and compulsively readable." --Abraham Brumberg, author, critic, and editor of Poland: Genesis of a Revolution
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