Not enough time has elapsed since publication of the book*, so it isn't known, whether it will gain due recognition. Certainly won't be promoted, so the chances of popularity are small. And a pity, so that escaped the attention of the readers because of the significant advantages, which it has. Because that present the fate of a Polish family from the eastern reaches of Poland, whose are united by mutual love, the faith and well-known for those compatriots the patriotism, and share the fates of its members, which have brought them on different continents (Asia, America, Australia) and to many countries (among others France, Sweden, Germany).
The author emigrated to Sweden. During martial law she organized food and medical aid for Poland. She's the daughter of well-known in Poznan, well-deserved physician and anthropologist, who conducted the research near Ostrow Lednicki. In local Museum of the First Piast reconstructed his studio.
To present the story of her family, author had come a long way about 150 thousand km. The story, which she the same called the belles-lettres of fact, begins in Canada, where she came, to visit a sick aunt. Moreover she sees her - like other relatives scattered around the world - for the first time. In conversation with her deleves into the family details, which becomes an incentive to take the next trips in search of loved ones and further saving their fates.
With described penetratingly captured the similarities and the differences move over before our eyes different countries. However most focuses attention history of the family, of which the cradle is Minsk Belarussian. It goes back to the days before World War I, by the October Revolution, to the present day. Although life in another world of soviet lagers have described by many authors, even as Solzhenitsyn or Herling-Grudzinski, however here a perspective appears to be more family, and thus more penetrating and fuller. How eloquent is for example the uncle's story, who came (from the USSR) with a trip to Poland, about it, how one babushka confided to a friend, that she found her son after fifty years. And how did you recognize him? - asks a friend. By the mantle - answers that. And I - adds uncle - even initially not recognized by mother, I hadn't the mantle .
Concept of the book was birthed by the same life. Author listened to stories of family members, she noted and recorded, and then she completed them of fragments of letters, diaries and various documents. People described in this book - she writes - they gave me the key to their fate. May be useful to someone my life - said one of them. [...] Not enough imagination to me, to invent that story - adds author. And burying in Canada dead aunt, she broods: Not just anybody is buried - would say aunt. And she would be right. Because never born anybody. And never dies anybody.