Germans flee the besieged city of Danzig in 1945. Poles driven out of eastern regions controlled by the Russians move into the homes hastily abandoned by their previous inhabitants. In an area of the city graced with beech trees and a stately cathedral, the stories of old and new residents Hanemann, a German and a former professor of anatomy, who chooses to stay in Danzig after the mysterious death of his lover; the Polish family of the narrator, driven out of Warsaw; and a young Carpathian woman who no longer has a country, her cheerful nature concealing deep wounds. Through his brilliantly defined characters, stunning evocation of place, and memorable descriptions of a world that was German but survives in Polish households, Chwin has created a reality that is beyond destruction.
Author
Polish novelist, literary critic, and historian of literature whose life and literary work is closely linked to his hometown Gdańsk. He holds a post of Literature Professor at the University of Gdańsk, his professional interests are focused on romanticism. The most well-known novel by Stefan Chwin is entitled "Hanemann" (1995). It has been translated into German, Swedish, Spanish and English; the plot of the novel is set in Danzig in the wake of World War II. In 1997 he received the "Erich Brost Danzig Award" for his merits on Polish-German reconciliation.
