Poland Under Black Light

by Janusz Anderman

Short stories portray the efforts of ordinary Polish citizens to cope with life in a totalitarian state

138 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1988

Reviews

[Claire S]

from Amazon.com
Anderman is one of Poland's most prominent "post-war" writers (i.e., writing after the imposition of martial law in December 1981). His latest book (published illegally in Poland under the title Breathless ) contains 15 short vignettes alternating with 15 stories. As the book's original title implies, the atmosphere of the stories is stifling. Amidst political repression and social chaos, characters feel suffocated or paralyzed. In "Shabby Lodgings," a man lies motionless in a rented room while the sound of a patriotic song can barely force its way through the thick fabric of his radio speaker. In "Topical Subject," two writers are being tailed by a policeman as they discuss the difficulties of practicing their art under martial law. Like their author, however, they continue to write and thus demonstrate the triumph of art over despair. Albert E. Wilhelm, English Dept., Tennessee Technological Univ., Cookeville
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.