Jurij Koch’s Sorbian Memoir of Life Before, During, and After the GDR, by John K. Cox

Book Reviews John K. Cox Jurij Koch / Courtesy of Domowina-Verlag In the 1950s, a girl whom Jurij Koch knew in high school moved away from their hometown of Cottbus in East Germany. It was a case, he says in his recent memoir, of “Weg von Ulbricht, hin zu Adenauer” (Away from Ulbricht, over to Adenauer). Her mother took the girl to the West, before the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. This is a familiar enough arc of events, but, as it turns out, the motivation behind the move is probably not something that most people outside of Germany would have considered. The reason was ethnic. Little Greta was growing up surrounded by Sorbs in the southeastern part of the country. The Sorbian language reminded her mother of Polish, and she had had quite enough of the Poles in her pre-1945 home farther east. In addition, Greta’s family was Protestant and they felt awash in a “Catholic sea.” So off they went, leaving the author of this autobiography—who, well, yes, had a crush on Greta—scratching his head. Like so many other scenes in this engaging book, this story blends the customary with the unexpected to stretch our understanding of what is “German.” Like so many other scenes in this engaging book, Koch’s memoir blends the customary with the unexpected to stretch our understanding of what is “German.” Windrad auf dem Dach (Domowina-Verlag, 2016) is the second volume of Koch’s memoirs to be published in German. Currently in his... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2020-01-27 20:47:13 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Jurij Koch’s Sorbian Memoir of Life Before, During, and After the GDR, by John K. Cox"


A Simplistic View of a Mixed-ish America

ABC’s Black-ish spinoff joins a new memoir by Thomas Chatterton Williams in presenting a seemingly enlightened but ahistorical view of race. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2019-10-26 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lit Hub Weekly: October 21 – 25, 2019

Duras’s body of work is a reminder that it’s okay to press send, to publish your drafts.” On Marguerite Duras, proto-internet essayist. | Lit Hub Memoir “Space flight is not being powered by people doing reasonable things.” Peter Ward explores the fraught history (and inevitable future) of space... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-26 10:30:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Val Kilmer is releasing a memoir (!!!)

Stop whatever it is you’re doing and pay attention to me because I have, just this morning, stumbled upon some joyous, and potentially game-changing, literary news: Val Kilmer is releasing a memoir. Yes, friends, according to Publishers Weekly, Simon & Schuster will publish I’m Your... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-25 16:13:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jenny Slate Wrote a Book-Shaped Thing. What Is It?

“Little Weirds,” a new collection by the actress and comedian, isn’t the funny memoir you might have expected. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-10-25 09:00:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Chatto & Windus wins Matt Rowland Hill memoir in eight-way auction

Chatto & Windus has triumphed in a hotly-contested eight-way auction to publish an "extraordinarily brave" memoir about faith, loss and addiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 09:08:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Head of Zeus picks up Carson's Belfast memoir

Head of Zeus has picked up a memoir of Belfast by poet and writer Ciaran Carson, who passed away earlier this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-22 01:49:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Colleagues pay tribute to journalist and 'lioness' Deborah Orr

Columnist, editor and author hailed as ‘fearless’, after her death at the age of 57Friends and colleagues have responded to the death of the journalist and author Deborah Orr with a flood of tributes, describing the longtime Guardian columnist as fearless, hilarious, and “a lioness in a world... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-21 15:54:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Animals feared him': fake David Cameron memoir cover spotted in bookshop

Complete with endorsements from Donald Trump and Judy Murray, the parody jacket turned up in a branch of FoylesThere are large acts of protest, such as the People’s Vote march that took place in London on Saturday. And then there are smaller ones, such as the work of the as yet unidentified... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-21 12:46:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Orr's Motherwell unpicks the complexities of familial relationships

Motherwell, the incisive memoir by Deborah Orr, unpicks the complexities of familial relationships. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-21 06:10:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Life of Cameron Douglas, From Privilege to Prison and Back

In his memoir “Long Way Home,” Michael Douglas’s oldest son examines the “demented death wish” that drove him to drugs and crime, shining a light on his famous family along the way. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-10-19 09:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Charles Schwab takes sharper aim at Robinhood as it pursues younger clients

Chuck Schwab said his company will soon introduce fractional-stock trading and other services designed to appeal to younger clients. The founder and chairman of Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW) told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that introducing the new services is the next step after dropping... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-10-18 18:05:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Am I Allowed to Break Up with My Book Agent?

The Blunt Instrument is an advice column for writers, written by Elisa Gabbert (specializing in nonfiction), John Cotter (specializing in fiction), and Ruoxi Chen (specializing in publishing). If you need tough advice for a writing problem, send your question to [email protected].... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-10-18 11:00:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Safran Foer’s memoir to illuminate family’s Holocaust history

HarperCollins imprint HQ will publish a "heartwrenching" post-Holocaust memoir from the mother of Jonathan Safran Foer, the story of which was the basis for his bestselling 2002 novel, Everything is Illuminated. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 20:21:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Oneworld acquires inside story of musical family the Kanneh-Masons

Oneworld has acquired the memoir of the woman who raised seven extraordinarily talented musical children, the Kanneh-Masons, exploring parenting, music education and the boundless potential of all children. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 16:07:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Saraband lands Helen Moat memoir

Indie publisher Saraband will publish Helen Moat’s memoir covering her 2000-mile cycle journey across Europe, in April 2020.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 00:50:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Fourth Estate wins Sarah Aspinall memoir at auction

Fourth Estate will publish film director and documentary maker Sarah Aspinall’s memoir, following an auction.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-15 16:28:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tiger Woods to write memoir telling his 'definitive story'

Publisher HarperCollins says Back is first and only account ‘directly from’ US golferFresh from a startling career comeback after years of battling injuries, sex addiction and tabloids, Tiger Woods has announced a new memoir titled Back in which he promises to tell his “definitive story”.The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-15 15:31:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Column: Julie Andrews relives her glorious, complicated, very real Hollywood life in her new memoir

From behind-the-scenes stories of "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" to the pressures of balancing career and family, Julie Andrews talks candidly about the work involved in her amazing life and career. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-10-15 13:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tiger Woods to publish memoir globally with HarperCollins

HarperCollins has landed world rights to golf legend Tiger Wood’s first ever memoir, entitled Back, promising the "definitive" story of his career, fall and comeback. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-14 21:07:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ronan Farrow’s dark memoir puts the media at the center of intersecting conspiracies

‘Catch and Kill’ follows a reporter’s noirish road to uncovering alleged sexual misconduct at NBC and in Hollywood. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-14 16:12:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this