Gravity

by Elizabeth Rosner

A fearless new work from the acclaimed author of the prize-winning novels THE SPEED OF LIGHT and BLUE NUDE. Composed over a period of some twenty years, GRAVITY is Elizabeth Rosner's profoundly searching account of her experience as the daughter of Holocaust survivors. In an extraordinarily powerful mix of poetry and prose, Rosner traces the earliest remembered resonances of her parents' past and her dawning awareness of the war history that colored her family home during her youth. She recounts her false starts in raising the subject with her father (a survivor of Buchenwald concentration camp), his piecemeal revelations and their eventual travels together to the sites of the nightmare in Germany. And she evokes, courageously and heart-wrenchingly, her search for identity against the gravitational pull of her parents' experience and the traditional upbringing they've given her. Like Rosner's celebrated novels, GRAVITY plumbs the deep complexities of inherited grief, but here the author discloses, with breathtaking candor and sensitivity, "what it felt like to grow up inside my family." Also featuring spellbinding artwork by Lola Fraknoi, these astonishing pages remind us that history happens at home and that the past is something we all embody, knowingly or not.

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

First published February 2, 2003

About the author

Elizabeth's newest book, "THIRD EAR: Reflections on the Art and Science of Listening," will be published by Counterpoint on September 17, 2024. Like her previous book, it's a hybrid of memoir and interdisciplinary research. "SURVIVOR CAFE: The Legacy of Trauma and the Labyrinth of Memory" (Counterpoint 2017) features a compelling blend of personal narrative, interviews, and extensive research about the inter-generational aftermath of war, genocide, and violence. It was selected as a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award, and Rosner has been interviewed on NPR's "All Things Considered" as well as in The New York Times.

Her third novel ELECTRIC CITY was published by Counterpoint in October 2014, and named one of the best books of the year by National Public Radio. Her full-length poetry collection GRAVITY was published by Atelier26 Books in fall 2014.

Ms. Rosner is the award-winning author of two previous novels: THE SPEED OF LIGHT and BLUE NUDE. The Speed of Light was the recipient of numerous honors, including the Harold U. Ribalow Prize and the Prix France Bleu Gironde; it was short-listed for the prestigious Prix Femina and selected for the Great Lakes Colleges New Writers Award. The novel has been translated into nine languages. Blue Nude was named one of the best books of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Elizabeth's writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Elle, The Forward, the Huffington Post, and several anthologies.

A full-time writer, Elizabeth taught literature and creative writing at the college level for 35 years, and continues to lead workshops and seminars at retreat centers and universities throughout the U.S. and internationally. She lives in Berkeley, CA.

Reviews

[Altan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to go back to this. Don't have the patience for it now.

[Josh Karaczewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's rare to find a work that explores the effect of the holocaust on the survivors' children - Art Spiegelman's Maus is the only other piece I have read that does this. Told in a hybrid of poetry and short prose, Gravity moves through the author's life showing glimpses of herself trying to form an identity while under the weight of her parents' traumatic history. A beautiful and heart-wrenching book.

[Marlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no words to describe this exquisite book of poetry and prose circling and re-circling around the author's personal history (which also make the poems especially accessible). Best run and buy it or borrow at the library. It's a small book (in size only, 109 pages) beautifully produced with artwork by Lola Fraknoi. I feel more human inside my own humanity after reading Gravity. (see why I said I have no words...?) (smile)

[Devi Laskar · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite books of poetry!

[Libertad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. It is a wonderful book, full of feelings around the idea of grief inheritance and finding your own path.

[Ronja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, intimate and beautifully written account of a second generation holocaust survivor

[Anne (Not of Green Gables) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It saddens me how little ratings this collection has given the gut punch it offers in less than 50 pages.