Recollection of youthful, romantic and passionate love, which never turned into stable relationship; tragically ended marriage, and other personal and family problems; very difficult, often controversial life of a talented actress under communism in Poland, described day in day out, and which almost parenthetically covering the last twenty years of the regime; and the clandestine activities of opposition against the communism; are the few threads of this multidimensional novel. The contemporary dimension of the novel comprises Polish post-communism and built up of the new social class called red bourgeoisie and the way the main character is confronted with religious ignorance and intolerance; corruption and frequent appearance of cases of perverse, often duplicitous accusations of collaboration with the ex communist security system, aiming as an embarrassing argument in political and private matters; and often instrumental as a blackmail. There are other, political, moral and social overtones, too.
At the first glance the novel could have been classified as a thriller, with suspense and sensual plot that at least partly is set in an environment of soft porno movie production in London, at the time of end of 1980s, including elements of mafia and IRA activities. Nonetheless, there was cleverly 'smuggled' a great deal of information about the work of cameraman, as well as of director while rehearsing with the actors or carrying out shooting of the movie. Further on, it entertains with real and anecdotic information about the cinematic environment. Besides, the novel is bringing a spectrum of information about writing a script for a historical movie and development of the concept of its realization. While doing so, it is also building up a reflective view over 15s century French poet Francois Villon; his personality and highly original oeuvre. The main thread of the contemporary action of the novel drifts towards the historical one, and in a way, they become tragically connected.
Good knowledge of both Eastern & Western European style of life and mentality allowed the author of the presented stories to depict some chosen features of those cultural entities, often in somewhat critical or even surrealistic manner. He frequently is expressing his opinion about different things, but in principle doesn't judge... A. Friedberg is also the author of two other bundles of stories (Largo de Santa Luzia; & A minor planet called Vertynsky), as well as of three novels (A long postponed Visit; Night Butterflies of the silver screen; & The Wedding's Season).
This bundle of stories describes some specific events of tumultuous times of the twenties century. The plots of the stories are skillfully skimmed throughout different, well known locations and at the times, at which people involved, had been struggling with the adversity of their fates. ...returning home by long distance train, old and tired Alexander Vertynsky, a well known Russian singer is recalling his life career in Russia and in the West. ...the beginning of the World War II in the Polish city of Vilno, was presented from the perspective of a child. ...when the members of the White Russian black battalion in service of Hitler's Germany killed his wife and daughter in front of their home, JS escaped to the forest and joined the partisans. ... there were 'political' emigrants from the communist countries, who never knew why they emigrated in the first place, other than just to earn some money for a while.
Recollection of youthful, romantic and passionate love, which never turned into stable relationship; tragically ended marriage, and other personal and family problems; very difficult, often controversial life of a talented actress under communism in Poland, described day in day out, and which almost parenthetically covering the last twenty years of the regime; and the clandestine activities of opposition against the communism; are the few threads of this multidimensional novel. The contemporary dimension of the novel comprises Polish post-communism and built up of the new social class called red bourgeoisie and the way the main character is confronted with religious ignorance and intolerance; corruption and frequent appearance of cases of perverse, often duplicitous accusations of collaboration with the ex communist security system, aiming as an embarrassing argument in political and private matters; and often instrumental as a blackmail. There are other, political, moral and social overtones, too.
At the first glance the novel could have been classified as a thriller, with suspense and sensual plot that at least partly is set in an environment of soft porno movie production in London, at the time of end of 1980s, including elements of mafia and IRA activities. Nonetheless, there was cleverly 'smuggled' a great deal of information about the work of cameraman, as well as of director while rehearsing with the actors or carrying out shooting of the movie. Further on, it entertains with real and anecdotic information about the cinematic environment. Besides, the novel is bringing a spectrum of information about writing a script for a historical movie and development of the concept of its realization. While doing so, it is also building up a reflective view over 15s century French poet Francois Villon; his personality and highly original oeuvre. The main thread of the contemporary action of the novel drifts towards the historical one, and in a way, they become tragically connected.
This book is a comprehensive account of the Chelmno death camp. Chelmno was not only the first Nazi death camp, it also set a horrific example in establishing gas vans as the first mass use of poison gas to kill Jews. Chris Webb and Artur Hojan cover the construction and the development of the mass murder process, as perfected by the Nazis. The story is painstakingly told from all sides, the Jewish inmates, some who survived the Holocaust, the perpetrators, the Polish Arbeitskommando, and others. A major part of this work is the Jewish Roll of Remembrance that includes the few survivors and the Jews deported from the Reich, via the Litzmannstadt ghetto, to their deaths in the gas vans. The book is richly illustrated with historical and contemporary photographs and documents.
This authoritative history chronicles the work and lives of great Jewish musicians around the world from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth. Since the Age of Enlightenment, Jewish musicians, composers, and musicologists have greatly enriched the artistic legacies of cultures and countries on a global scale. Their contributions have been a major influence on numerous musical forms, both secular and sacred. Jews in Music presents a survey of these accomplishments through the rise of Zionism, the settlement of the Jewish Homeland, and the burgeoning Jewish music developments in America. Jews in Music presents a detailed history ranging from the symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn to the Broadway musicals of Leonard Bernstein, from the great touring violinists of Western Europe to the pioneers of commercial music recording. Plus, a section on sacred music explores in depth the evolution of the musical components of the synagogue, including the chants, compositions, and traditional songs of the chazzanim.
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