Recognizable from a distance, the memory of a mother

The Polish graphic designer, children’s book writer and essayist Marcin Wicha published in 2017 ‘Rzeczy, których nie wyrzuciłem‘. He won several prizes with the book about his mother, including the Nike, the most important Polish book prize. Thanks to the translation by Charlotte Pothuizen and publisher Koppernik, we can now enjoy the story under the title in the Netherlands ‘Things I didn’t throw away’.

She didn’t talk about death. Just once. An indeterminate arm movement, a wave toward the bookcase: “What are you going to do with all that?”. This is the opening line of the book. It is immediately clear that his mother was perhaps not the easiest and that the son has a challenge to clear out her home now that his mother has died. Based on the various trinkets and book titles, the son sketches the life of a mother and therefore a family in Poland.

Memories of a time

This places the book somewhat at a distance from the Dutch reader because the bookcase contains writers and titles that are not known in the Netherlands. The translator does provide good footnotes that explain names.

The writer also describes the periods of Polish history in the design of the books: Books with poor quality paper during the scarcity under communism, thin illegal editions or the emphatically designed covers of the economic boom after the fall of communism are easy to understand for most Dutch people, but not immediately recognizable.

The book features a mother who wants to make her son resilient, not least verbally. Something in which, according to him, he fails because the correct response often only comes after the argument has ended. This also seems to evoke a certain distance towards the main character, the Jewish Polish Joanna. And yet the book is very recognizable.

Recognizability

Herkenhaar is the question of where to start when clearing out a home. It is recognizable that it is annoying if what was valuable to your loved one (in this case the book collection) has no value to the antique dealer. It is recognizable that memories are attached to the various objects and books, that they evoke a time image of something that will no longer return.

And although Marcin’s mother may not be the easiest, he certainly evokes sympathy for her. Because yes, her life was not easy either, with the legacy of a war and a regime for the Jewish Poles in the 1960s that she would rather be rid of. Is it understandable that she verbally takes her place?

The sympathy also extends to her professional life as a child psychologist. For example, the son receives many messages after her death, which he refers to. This memory shows that Joanna stops working as soon as she can no longer work at eye level with children due to back problems.

The headstrong woman

For literature lovers, the chapter about Emma, ​​Jane Austen’s novel, will also provide recognition. It was Joanna’s favorite book. A book about a idiosyncratic woman, whatever you could say about it Things I didn’t throw away.

“You can’t make a funny story out of everything in life,” Wicha records a statement from his mother in the foreword. Yet he tried with this book. And he has succeeded in this with the anecdotes he uses to characterize his mother and the discomfort this sometimes meant for him. Anecdotes that are sure to make you smile when reading. This creates a beautiful tribute to his mother and the things she collected in her life and of which he in turn also keeps a number of book titles and does not get rid of them.

That’s it Things I didn’t throw away an asset to your bookcase and yes, in ten years’ time descendants will come across it and it may be a reason for the next prize-winning book.

Be tempted by the review in Trouw to read the book or order it straight away at bol.com, for example.