Things I Didn't Throw Out - Softcover

Marcin Wicha; Marta Dziurosz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1914198026 ISBN 13: 9781914198021

Publisher: Daunt Books, 2021

Synopsis

Translated by Marta Dziurosz

A wry and unsentimental account of the attempt to understand a parent as an independent person with their own history

Lamps, penknives, paperbacks, mechanical pencils, inflatable headrests. Marcin Wicha’s mother Joanna was a collector of everyday objects. When she dies and leaves her apartment intact, Wicha is left to sort through her things. Through them, he begins to construct an image of Joanna as a Jewish woman, a mother, and a citizen. As Poland emerged from the Second World War into the material meanness of the Communist regime, shortages of every kind shaped its people in deep and profound ways. What they chose to buy, keep – and, arguably, hoard – tells the story of contemporary Poland.

Joanna’s Jewishness, her devotion to work, her formidable temperament, her weakness for consumer goods, all accumulate into an unforgettable portrait of a woman and, ultimately, her country.

About this title

About the Author

Marcin Wicha was born in Warsaw in 1972. A graphic designer and writer, he is one of Poland’s most successful contemporary writers and the author of a number of bestselling children’s books, as well the winner of Poland biggest literary prizes for his adult writing. In 2017 he published Rzeczy, których nie wyrzuciłem (Things I Didn’t Throw Out), which became a bestseller and won the Polityka Passport award and the prestigious Nike Literary Award

Marta Dziurosz translates across Polish and English, negotiates publishing contracts and writes. She lives in the UK.

Edition details

• Publisher: Daunt Books
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1914198026
• ISBN 13: 9781914198021
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192