Lovely, Human, True, Heartfelt: The Letters of Alina Szapocznikow and Ryszard Stanislawski, 1948-1971

by Agata Jakubowska (Editor), Jennifer Croft (Translator)

Although she is only now just coming into much deserved global renown as the woman behind "Awkward Objects," one of ArtForum's Best of 2012, the Polish sculptor Alina Szapocznikow has long been recognized in her country as one of the most accomplished female artists of the twentieth century. Collected in this volume for the first time are Szapocznikow’s letters to and from the art critic and former director of the Lódz Museum of Art Ryszard Stanislawski, which span from the inception of their relationship through their marriage and divorce.

Lovely, Human, True, Heartfelt documents Szapocznikow’s artistic process and inspirations and is a rare window through which to view the complex internal life of Szapocznikow as an artist, Holocaust survivor, and woman. For art historians and enthusiasts, this correspondence offers an important context for understanding Szapocznikow’s often enigmatic work and id a fascinating look at the recovery of the artistic community in Europe after World War II. The volume includes comprehensive notes on the political and artistic climate surrounding each letter, as well as providing biographical information that creates an even more nuanced portrait of the two writers.

More than simply a historical resource, Lovely, Human, True, Heartfelt offers readers an intimate epistolary romance written with deep passion and remarkable literary flair. 

380 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2012

Reviews

[Maj · Rating 5 out of 5]

FAVOURITE BOOK EVER

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wrenching and beautiful collection of letters, written mainly by Alina Szapocznikow--a great and vastly underrated twentieth-century sculptor--to her first husband. Szapocznikow, a Polish Jew survived the ghettos and concentration camps of World War II, and afterwards a bout of tuberculosis, which was cured by experimental drugs that left her infertile. Breast cancer ultimately killed her at the age of 47, in 1973. Despite her harrowing life, she produced a remarkable and singular body of work. The meat of these letters was written in the early part of her career, when she was just beginning to find her way as a sculptor. Her writing is as bewitching as her sculpture.

Published by the Modern Museum of Art in Warsaw, the book is faithful to the artist but suffers from some translation problems--thus the four- instead of five-star review. The editors valiantly attempt to explain in endnotes information about Polish history, culture, etc. that is likely unfamiliar to most English readers, but the notes are a haphazard job. Details that might merit a line receive a paragraph; other times the situation is reversed. The title of the book is derived from a quote from one of the most potent letters in the collection. I have read another translation of this letter elsewhere that I believe makes Szapocznikow's original point much more emotionally powerful, and this makes me question the translation as a whole.

Nonetheless, don't let translation problems detract. Szapocznikow's is a trenchant voice, and one that should no longer go overlooked (along with her art!).