Three minutes in poland reconstructs jewish town destroyed. Uaaapu consortium library, room 307 author glenn kurtz will speak on his book, three minutes in poland. Nov 16, 2014 the book based on this journey is called three minutes in poland. Jewish quarter in poland collections search united. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film by glenn kurtz. May 21, 20 glenns second book, three minutes in poland. Traveling in europe in august 1938, one year before the outbreak of world war ii, david kurtz, the authors grandfather, captured three minutes of ordinary life in a small, predominantly jewish. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Three minutes in poland npr coverage of three minutes in poland. He is a guggenheim foundation fellow and graduate of tufts university, new england conservatory of. Three minutes in poland with glenn kurtz and leora tec.
I began to catch fleeting glimpses of the living town, kurtz writes, a cruelly narrow sample of its relationships. Glenn spent four years researching every face shown in the video. When glenn kurtz stumbles upon an old family film in. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film by glenn kurtz when glenn kurtz stumbles upon an old family film in his parents closet in florida, he has no inkling of its historical significance or of the impact it will have on his life. Named one of the best books of 2014 by npr, the new yorker. Three minutes in poland describes with horrifying precision the ordeals that preceded the murders of most of nasielsks jewish community. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film, which chronicles the rich and surprisingly intertwined stories of the people of nasielsk.
He speaks to survivors, and tells their story in gripping detail in his book, three minutes in poland, discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film. Ultimately, kurtz locates seven living survivors from this lost town, including an 86yearold man who appears in the film as a yearold boy. Nov 11, 2014 the author finds three minutes of film, documenting his grandparents visit to a small village in poland in the late 1930s. Within a few years, nearly everyone was murdered by the nazi germans. Three minutes in poland interview with glenn kurtz. Three minutes in poland book ottawa public library. Interview highlights on what you can see in the video. Traveling in europe in august 1938, one year before the outbreak of. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. Three minutes in poland was selected as one of the best books of 2014 by the boston globe, the new yorker, and npr. Painstakingly assembled from interviews, photographs, documents, and artifacts, three minutes in poland tells the rich, harrowing, and surprisingly intertwined stories of these seven survivors and their polish hometown. Nov 19, 2014 in three minutes in poland, glenn kurtz accomplishes the act not through mourning, though melancholy is as much a part of the book s atmosphere as oxygen is part of ours, but through revivifying. Three minutes in poland gives new life to a town wiped. But equally compelling pages document how chandler, with guile, luck and some polish help, escapes the warsaw ghetto, took a nonjewish polish identity and managed to.
Background united states holocaust memorial museum. The kurtz family lore was that the grandparents both now deceased were visiting lizas hometown of berezne, poland. Glenn kurtzs book reveals how these 3000 lived and prospered. Above all, its a powerful testament to the singular worth of every life. Three minutes in poland by glenn kurtz chicago tribune. Three minutes in poland describes with horrifying precision the ordeals that preceded the murders of most of nasielsks.
Glenn kurtz discusses his book, three minutes in poland, inspired by a three minute film that his grandfather had made in a predominantly jewish town in poland one year before wwii broke out. If handled ineptly, this book could have been boring or depressing, but the execution is marvelous. Traveling in europe in august 1938, one year before the outbreak of world war ii, david kurtz, the authors grandfather, captured three minutes of ordinary life in a small, predominantly jewish town in poland on 16 mm kodachrome color film. He is a graduate of the new england conservatorytufts. Named one of the best books of 2014 by npr, the new yorker, and the boston globe. While abroad in 1938, david took 16mm film of the trip, including color street scenes of a jewish quarter in nasielsk, poland david and louiss hometown. Teju cole, author of open city glenn kurtzs beautifully written book is many things at once. Three minutes in poland by glenn kurtz overdrive rakuten. The cover of the book three minutes in poland by glenn kurtz, and a still from the authors home movies depicting the country before the holocaust. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film along with the remarkable fouryear quest it documents is an act of reverence, as well as a feat of archival. Three minutes in poland traces my fouryear effort to preserve and decipher a 16mm home movie shot by my grandfather during a return visit to his birthplace, nasielsk, poland, a year before its destruction in the holocaust. The book consists of interviews, photographs, documents, and artifacts that tell the stories of seven survivors that lived in this town.
Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film was cited as a best book of. The author finds three minutes of film, documenting his grandparents visit to a small village in poland in the late 1930s. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film was cited as a best book of 2014 by the new yorker, npr, and the boston globe. Three minutes in poland discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film book. Nov 28, 2014 three minutes in poland describes with horrifying precision the ordeals that preceded the murders of most of nasielsks jewish community. But equally compelling pages document how chandler, with guile, luck and some polish help, escapes the warsaw ghetto, took a nonjewish polish identity and managed to survive.
He is a guggenheim foundation fellow and graduate of tufts university, new england conservatory of music and stanford university. The book based on this journey is called three minutes in poland. Jewish quarter in poland collections search united states. Kurtz embarked on a fouryear journey to identify the people in the film and recapture life in the predominantly jewish town before the holocaust. Glenn kurtz the authors search for the annihilated polish community captured in his grandfathers 1938 home movie. Kurtzs fouryear search culminated in a book published in november. Three minutes of normal, everyday life in nasielsk, a small, predominately jewish town in poland, in 1938. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
Discovering a lost world in a 1938 home movie will appear in 2014. Three minutes in poland gives new life to a town wiped out. Chandlers story and those of other survivors, kurtz breathes life back into this forgotten town with his new book three minutes in poland. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film glenn kurtz. Three minutes in poland extraordinary tale, unbelievable three minutes in poland extraordinary tale, unbelievable i didnt think i was going to like this book in the beginning but as you get more into the book you realise how amazing that 3 minute film became to people lives great narration. Between their visits to belgium and switzerland, there is a threeminute interlude when the american tourists were ambling about a small polish town attracting all kinds of delighted attention from the native onlookers. Three minutes in poland traces glenn kurtz s remarkable fouryear journey to identify the people in his grandfathers haunting images. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film selected as one of the best books of 2014 by the new yorker, the boston globe, and national public radio honorable mention winner of the kulczycki book prize traveling in europe in august 1938, one year before the outbreak of world war ii, david kurtz, my grandfather, captured three minutes of ordinary life in. Family film offers glimpse of three minutes in poland. Three minutes in poland traces glenn kurtzs remarkable fouryear journey to identify the people in his grandfathers haunting images.
Three minutes in poland begins as the story of an old family film rediscovered and veers into an important tale of polish shtetls during world war ii. Three silent minutes were captured with a home movie camera, mostly in color. Three minutes in poland discovering a lost world in a 1938. In our interview, we talk about glenns experience creating his book and meeting the survivors from his grandfathers home town. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film won best book of 2014 awards from the new yorker, the boston globe and national public radio. He is a graduate of the new england conservatorytufts university double degree. The trip was made with three friends, louis and lillian malina, and louiss sister, essie malina diamond, who appear frequently on camera. In three minutes in poland, glenn kurtz accomplishes the act not through mourning, though melancholy is as much a part of the book s atmosphere as oxygen is. Named one of the best books of 2014 by npr, the new yorker, and the boston globewhen glenn kurtz stumbles upon an old family film in his parents closet. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film by glenn kurtz fsg but the stories kurtz tells resonate deeply. Davids journey eventually became the book, three minutes in poland. Three minutes of footage taken in 1938 vividly document a polish village where, of 3,000 jews, fewer than 100 survived. Nov 17, 2015 three minutes in poland is destined to be a classic.
Three minutes in poland is destined to be a classic. Nov 17, 2015 three minutes in poland traces glenn kurtzs remarkable journey to identify the people in a home movie he found in his parents closet that had been made by his grandfather during a 1938 european tour one year before the outbreak of world war ii. Honorable mention winner of the kulczycki book prize. Three minutes in poland was selected as one of the best books of 2014 by the boston globe, the. Three minutes in poland by glenn kurtz details how his grandfathers home footage captured the. Maurice chandler now lives in florida, but in 1938 he was a young, jewish boy living in poland, eager to be in the frame of david kurtzs film. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film selected as one of the best books of 2014 by the new yorker, the boston globe, and national public radio. It is intensely moving and brilliantly researched, and it reads like a thriller. Discovering a lost world in a 1938 family film, which was selected as a best book of 2014 by the new yorker, the boston globe and national public radio. Three minutes in poland traces glenn kurtzs remarkable journey to identify the people in his grandfathers haunting images. Nasielsk, located thirty miles northwest of warsaw, was home to more than three thousand jews in 1938. The authors search for the annihilated polish community captured in his grandfathers 1938 home movie. Family film offers glimpse of three minutes in poland before. The book traces the inquiry of glenn kurtz into the origins of the people in an old family film taken by his grandparents on.
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