Warsaw is My Country

Beth Holmgren is Professor of Slavic Studies at Duke University. Her recent books include Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour in Poland and America (2012) and Transgressive Women in Modern Russian and East European Cultures, co-ed. Yana Hashamova & Mark Lipovetsky (2016). Her current research examines the role of popular entertainment and the experience of its primarily Jewish performers in the Anders Army (1942-1946).

“This is a fascinating read as well as an outstanding addition to syllabi for courses in history, gender, identity, and memory studies, making also a notable contribution to the theme of ‘reading and writing cities,’ as Bierzyńska’s story situates the city of Warsaw in its very center. … Apart from being a needed monument to the much ignored female heroism in Poland’s war struggles, the book testifies to the remarkable richness and complexities of Polish Jews’ double identities, rendering impossible any simplistic affinity towards one ethnic group over the other. As such, the book should be considered a ‘must have’ for any American or European library.” —Elwira M. Grossman, University of Glasgow, Slavic and East European Journal Vol. 62.3