Yiddish Book Center to Host Acclaimed Author Mikołaj Grynberg on Oct. 9

AMHERST — The Yiddish Book Center will welcome Polish Jewish author and photographer Mikołaj Grynberg for an event on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. The program, “Jewish Poland Today: On Page and Screen,” will take place in person at the center’s Amherst campus and will also be available via livestream. This is one of only two U.S. appearances by Grynberg, and the only one on the East Coast.

Grynberg will be joined by his translator, Sean Gasper Bye, for a wide-ranging conversation about Jewish life in Poland today, the legacy of memory, and how the past and present continue to shape one another. The discussion will highlight Grynberg’s internationally acclaimed books, including I’d Like to Say Sorry, but There’s No One to Say Sorry To and Confidential. The evening will also include a book signing, with titles available for purchase.

“Poland holds a special place in Jewish history, but Grynberg’s works ask, what does Jewish life in Poland look like now?” said Rebecka McDougall, director of Communication and Marketing for the Yiddish Book Center. “This program offers our community the chance to hear directly from one of the most important voices in contemporary Polish Jewish culture.”

This event is presented in partnership with the Amesbury Chair in Polish Culture; the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies; and the Edwin C. Gentzler Translation Center at UMass Amherst, as well as the Jewish Studies departments at Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the Polish Cultural Institute.

For tickets and information, visit www.yiddishbookcenter.org or call (413) 256-4900.