Description
Blurb
From Corsets to Communism is a literary biography of a Polish woman author. Zofia Nałkowska was a highly acclaimed author whose life spanned key events in Polish history. Born in Warsaw in 1884 under the repressive regime of Tsarist Russia, Zofia forged her fiction under censorship and then the Occupation of the First World War. First published when she was still in her teens, Zofia spoke out on behalf of women. In fact, her early novels influenced fledgling writers. Therefore each new publication was eagerly looked forward to.
During the brief years of independent Poland, her work became a sharp critique of the increasingly illiberal government. Zofia spent the Second World War in Warsaw. Because she was unable to publish, she continued to support young writers. For this, she risked her life, while she and her sister also cared for their beloved mother suffering from dementia. Post-war, with Warsaw still in ruins, Zofia produced Medallions. This collection of short stories exposes unspeakable crimes and restores dignity to Polish and Jewish lives. Nałkowska was a lover of life and a keen and visionary observer of beauty. Because of this, she was innovative in exploring motherhood’s psychological imprint as well as the blurred boundaries of male and female relationships.
Reviews
“Robertson’s book becomes unputdownable”. These are the words of Anthony Gardner, author of Fox, in his review for the European Literature Network. Read the full review here.
About the Author
Jenny Robertson studied Polish at Glasgow University and spent a post-graduate year in Warsaw where she continued her exploration of Polish life and culture. Ghetto, a collection of poems (Lion Publishing 1989), was shortlisted for a prize and read in the Edinburgh Book Festival. Jenny pursued the theme of the Warsaw Ghetto in Don’t go to Uncle’s Wedding (Azure/SPCK 2000). She writes for the Holocaust journal, PRISM (Azrieli Institute NY). From Corsets to Communism is her first publication with Scotland Street Press.
