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Necessary
Lies
by Eva Stachniak (2000), 265 pages.
To
her surprise, she discovers that the object of her affection William, who
teaches music and is a fine composer, was born in the city then called Breslau,
the place which to Anna is Wroc³aw. The challenge for these two people is how
to reconcile this ironic situation and how to handle it. William left the city
in January of 1945, when he was only five,
with a feeling of utter horror. The world as he knew it suddenly disintegrated,
with no prospect or hope for rescue; his family at that time had nowhere to
escape. Yet, by some miracle, he found himself in Canada two years later. On the
other hand, Anna's parents arrived in Wroc³aw the very same year. They were
frightened to walk past the abandoned shells of walls, of houses gutted and
burnt, deserted valleys between mountains of debris. This was the city where she
was born. It was overrun by people who were terribly tired, defeated,
humiliated, mourning their dead in far away eastern parts of Poland, remembering
minute details of their homes left behind forever.
In
the relationship of Anna and William, each is sensitive enough not to tread on
the other's feelings; they make valiant efforts in this regard. No doubt the
peaceful Canadian skies are a balsam for their bruised souls. In due course,
Anna's divorce from Peter, who does not want to leave Poland, is granted, and
her marriage to William (Bill) becomes possible. A tragic blow occurs when Bill
dies of a heart attack ten years later, and a new dramatic turn follows: Anna
discovers some old letters of her late
husband. It would be unfair to
reveal more than that, but it is an original twist. Let it only be said that she
sets out on her return journey to Europe where she visits Warsaw, Wroc³aw, and
Berlin in search for the truth. The novel includes familiar motifs: the
determination to leave the old country for the West, the period of
acclimatization, and the all‑important return visit full of significance.
The romantic content offers additional spice. The
novel contains vivid descriptions of many parts of Wroc³aw and Montreal. One
should also note that this new genre of Polish literature is becoming
quite popular. Tadeusz Konwicki started it (as pointed out recently by Anna
Frajlich), followed by Pawel Huelle who writes about the Gdańsk area, by Artur
Liskowacki who writes about Szczecin in a recent novel Eine Kleine. But the novel reviewed
here seems to be the first one written in English. George E. Suboczewski |
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This
is a first novel by the Polish‑Canadian writer who is now in her forties
and is teaching at a college in the Province of Ontario. She was born in Wroc³aw,
Poland, attended the local university, and continued her studies at McGill
University in Montreal. After completing her Ph.D., she got married and stayed
in Canada. We gain the impression that some of her novel is autobiographical.
The heroine Anna can hardly believe her good luck when, in the summer of 1981,
her Canadian permits arrive. In Poland, at that time, her husband is caught up
in a momentous event: martia1 law is decreed by the government. However, the
novel leads into an entirely different direction that has very little to do with
contemporary politics. Anna, enchanted by the Canadian college atmosphere,
takes delight in her studies as well as in her teaching duties, and unexpectedly
falls in love. Obviously her Polish marriage was not truly solid.