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“History of a Disappearance” Story Of A Forgotten Polish Town | SF

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Wednesday, April 26, 2017 - 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*RSVP is appreciated, but not required.

The Booksmith | 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117

Event Details

Booksmith is excited to host the Center for the Art of Translation as they welcome Polish writer Filip Springer, in town to discuss History of a Disappearance, translated by Sean Bye. Filip and Sean will be in conversation. Join them.

History of a Disappearance is the fascinating true story of Miedzianka, a small mining town in the southwest of Poland that, after seven centuries of history, disappeared in the decades after World War II. In this collection of unsparing and insightful reportage, Filip Springer rediscovers this tiny town’s history. Digging beyond the village’s mythic foundations and the great wars and world leaders that shaped it, Springer catalogs the lost human elements: the long-departed tailor and deceased shopkeeper; the parties, now silenced, that used to fill the streets with shouts and laughter; and the once-beautiful cemetery, with gravestones upended by tractors and human bones scattered by dogs. In Miedzianka, Springer sees a microcosm of European history, and a powerful narrative of how the ghosts of the past continue to haunt us in the present day.

History of a Disappearance was shortlisted for the Ryszard Kapuscinski Literary Reportage Prize in 2011 and the the Nike Literary Prize in 2012 and nominated for the Gdynia Literary Prize in 2012.

Free, an RSVP is appreciated, but not required.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE*
*RSVP is appreciated, but not required.
Categories: Literature
Address: 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117