A Life in Pieces
A Life in Pieces: The Making and Unmaking of Binjamin Wilkomirski Blake Eskin,
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393324451
DDC: 920
Edition: Paperback; 2003-06
Summary:
A searing account of the rise and fall of the author of Fragments,
told by a descendant of the Wilkomirskis of Riga. In 1997, Binjamin
Wilkomirski came to New York to read from his prize-winning Holocaust
memoir Fragments: Memories of a Wartime Childhood, raise money for
the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and meet his perhaps-relatives, the
Wilburs (once Wilkomirskis). The Wilburs—and the world—embraced
Binjamin as a humanitarian whose eloquent and haunting tale of
childhood stood for untold others. A year later, however, Binjamin
was publicly accused of being a gentile impostor. He insisted his
memories outweighed the documents against him but proclaimed, "Nobody
has to believe me." Journalist and presumed cousin Blake Eskin
recounts the dispute through riveting reportage and memoir,
interviewing Binjamin's acquaintances and visiting Riga in search of
actual Wilkomirskis. The reactions of the media, the child-survivor
community, and the Wilburs themselves shed light on debates about the
reliability of memory, the nature of identity, and the uses and
misuses of history. 7 b/w photographs.
We query many merchants so that you can instantly
compare prices and
availability. You can even check historic prices and subscribe
for notifications. For a manual check, clicking on a link will open a
new window with a search for this book on the merchant's site of your
choice.
