Objects of Affection

by Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough

Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough arrived in the United States from Poland in 1984, bringing memories of life under a totalitarian regime, where the personal was always political. In essay after essay in Objects of Affection, her remarkable debut, Hryniewicz-Yarbrough shows the immigrant’s double perspective, exploring a “bi-polar” world of displacement and rootlessness, geography and memory, individual and family history, always with an acute awareness of losses and gains that accompany adaptation to a new language and culture and the creation of a new identity.

Genres: Poland

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2018

Reviews

[Joanna Banach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough’s collection of essays, titled Objects of Affection, is a wonderful read. Those familiar with the complexities of an immigrant’s life will most likely find some of their own intuitions eloquently expressed in her writing; to all the others, it will be a great introduction to the experience of immigration. The essays are thoughtful and witty, sometimes funny, often moving, and always very engaging. Hryniewicz-Yarbrough skillfully leads her reader into the world of communist Poland she left in the mid 1980s, and her vivid, precise prose makes that world almost palpable. At the same time, thought-provoking contrasts and parallels that she draws between the realities of communist (and post-communist) Poland and those of the U.S. within the last four decades should encourage her American readers to re-examine some of the assumptions they make about the world they live in.
In one of the essays, “Bottom, Thou Art Translated,” Hryniewicz-Yarbrough, who is also an accomplished translator, explains her approach to translation as a compromise: she tries to adapt the translated text to the sensibilities of its English speaking readers, but not overly so, allowing it to retain some of its uniqueness and mystery. In a way, she does the same in this book; she has beautifully “translated” her experience as an immigrant for her American readers, but some of the mystery still remains, and this is what makes this book so fascinating.

[Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I'm interested in the personal essay as a form and have been thinking about trying my hand at a few essays of my own (the word "essay" being particularly apt for that intention). It is a rewarding book on many levels. The essays are beautifully written--many were published in fine literary magazines before being assembled in this collection--but they also deal with fascinating subject matter. The author has lived in the US for many years, but was born and educated in Poland. In one way or another, the essays deal with that dichotomy: being both Polish and American; existing with both the Polish and English languages, including writing in both and doing translations; and exploring identity. Highly recommended.

[Witoldzio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating collection of articles deals with issues of growing up in communist Poland, adjusting to new life in the United States, and also with challenges and benefits of living with two languages simultaneously. The book will appeal not only to post-Solidarity immigrants to the US and fans of Eastern European politics, history and literature, but also to anybody who is interested in the role of language and memory in our lives. The writing is elegant, the articles become more and more interesting as you keep reading. This book is full of revealing and thought-provoking content, a work of a serious thinker. Enjoy the book at slow pace, the book is not intended to be read quickly.

[Eva Stachniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful and wise books of musings on emigration, immigration, growing up and remembering what we have left behind. A treasure!