Things I Didn't Throw Out (Paperback)

Marcin Wicha

ISBN 10: 1914198026 / ISBN 13: 9781914198021

Published by Daunt Books, London, 2021

About this Item

Paperback. Lamps, penknives, paperbacks, mechanical pencils, inflatable headrests. Marcin Wicha's mother Joanna was a collector of everyday objects. She found intrinsic - and often idiosyncratic - value in each item. When she dies and leaves her apartment intact, Wicha is left to sort through her things.The objects are the seemingly ordinary possessions of an ordinary life. But through them, Wicha 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. Things I Didn't Throw Out is an intimate, unconventional and very funny memoir about everything we leave behind. A wry and unsentimental account of the attempt to understand a parent as an independent person with their own history. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781914198021

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Things I Didn't Throw Out (Paperback)
• Publisher: Daunt Books, London
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1914198026
• ISBN 13: 9781914198021
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

An intimate, unconventional and very funny memoir about everything we leave behind.

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.