In Search of Lost Meaning: The New Eastern Europe

by Adam Michnik, Václav Havel (Foreword), Roman Czarny (Translator)

In this new collection of essays, Adam Michnik―one of Europe’s leading dissidents―traces the post-cold-war transformation of Eastern Europe. He writes again in opposition, this time to post-communist elites and European Union bureaucrats. Composed of history, memoir, and political critique, In Search of Lost Meaning shines a spotlight on the changes in Poland and the Eastern Bloc in the post-1989 years. Michnik asks what mistakes were made and what we can learn from climactic events in Poland’s past, in its literature, and the histories of Central and Eastern Europe. He calls attention to pivotal moments in which central figures like Lech Walesa and political movements like Solidarity came into being, how these movements attempted to uproot the past, and how subsequent events have ultimately challenged Poland’s enduring ethical legacy of morality and liberalism. Reflecting on the most recent efforts to grapple with Poland’s Jewish history and residual guilt, this profoundly important book throws light not only on recent events, but also on the thinking of one of their most important protagonists.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Poland

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Adam Michnik, a leading force in the Solidarity trade union movement against communist totalitarianism, is the founder and editor in chief of the largest Polish daily newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza, where he sometimes writes under the pen-names of Andrzej Zagozda or Andrzej Jagodziński. In 1966–1989 he was one of the leading organisers of the illegal, democratic opposition in Poland. A historian, essayist and political commentator, he is the recipient of many awards, including Knight of the Legion of Honour and European of the Year.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have read a general history of Poland before reading this book, because I had to look up so many things (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). Michnik presents us with a series of essays from the 20th century, particularly the Solidarity movement, post-WWII and the Nazi and Soviet Occupation.

I will be coming back to this book, after I have learned more.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a Polish dissident from the Communist era, this book explores contemporary trends in Polish society and politics. The author also looks at other Central European countries by way of comparison. He also considers Polish history throughout the 20th century. The book is written as a series of short essays, and it assumes that the reader is at least somewhat familiar with Polish history. It is a well-written and thought-provoking book on an interesting topic, that I would recommend to anyone interested in Central European history and contemporary politics.

[The Book : An Online Review at The New Republic]

IN MARCH 1968, when he was twenty-one years old, Adam Michnik had a copy of Forefather’s Eve, a play by the nineteenth-century poet Adam Mickiewicz, on his bedside table. He wound up reading it in jail. Read more...