An exclusive love in her debut book, johanna adorjan explores the life of her hungarian grandparents, compiling the fragments of their double suicide into a touching family story. An exclusive love answers the latter through speculation, as it must. Johanna adorjan has crafted a masterful piece of art that far exceeds the vast majority of memoirs i have read in terms of its enjoyability, honesty and cleverness. She is an editor of the culture section of the frankfurter allgemeine sonntagszeitung, and also writes. Johanna adorjan, author of an exclusive love, found clarity in telling the fateful story of her grandparents deaths. She has worked as an editor and freelance author for various newspapers and magazines. After theyre gone, understanding an exclusive love translated from german, johanna adorjans an exclusive love reconstructs the day of her grandparents joint suicide. I was momentarily jolted by the idea that love could be so exclusive as to abandon ones children. Johanna adorjan the author describes the unconventional lives of her grandparents, from surviving the holocaust and fleeing budapest during the uprising of 1956 to their complex personalities and longburied family. It is the february book of the month pick from the german book office. An exclusive love is a brilliantly constructed memoir and a gorgeous romance, a tale of two people who died as they lived. Adorjan has clear affection for her grandparents, and even appears to understand their decision to end their lives together. Feb 26, 2016 an exclusive love traces their lives together, as well as recreates their final days. Jun 22, 2011 there is a certain tension in johanna adorjans memoir an exclusive love, a very public remembrance about two very private people.
About anthea bell anthea bell obe is an awardwinning translator whose translations unclude sebalds austerlitz, cornelia funkes inkworld trilogy and the asterix comics. An exclusive love and the thin line between fiction and memoir. Berlinbased journalist adorjans debut examines why and how her grandparents committed suicide together, decades after they survived the holocaust. Sep 02, 2010 an exclusive love is the type of exquisite book one reads and finishes in the one sitting. They had apparently planned their suicidepact long beforehand, and had made careful preparations closely following the instructions in derek humphrys manual, final. Nov 21, 2015 an exclusive love answers the latter through speculation, as it must.
After theyre gone, understanding an exclusive love. A readers introduction to an exclusive love while this is the story of two elderly people who. An exclusive love translated by anthea bell is published by harvill secker. Since 2001 she has been an editor of the culture section of the frankfurter all. Translated from the german by anthea bell aus, us, uk text publishing, september 2010 9781921656569 johanna. Johanna adorjan, author of an exclusive love, was born in stockholm and now lives in berlin.
Buy this book in a striking debut, adorjan mingles past, present, memory. An exclusive love is a romantic tragedy the book chronicles the final hours of vera and pista adorjan, hungarian jews who had survived the holocaust and the 1956 uprising in budapest. Johanna adorjan is the author of several dramatic works, including a screenplay filmed by ed herzog. An exclusive love is an unusually powerful book, beautifully written and translated. The book chronicles the final hours of vera and pista. Phlipp meyer, author of american rust chainsmoking, peculiar. Johanna adorjan has written here, in her first book, an ode to enduring love.
Mar 21, 2011 an exclusive love is johanna adorjans homage to her grandparents, istvan and vera, who, on october 1991 committed suicide at their home in denmark. A powerful and affecting memoirreminiscent of sebald. To be precise i was crossing the tramlines on friedrichstrasse. On october 1991 my grandparents killed themselves. On th october 1991 my grandparents killed themselves. Buy an exclusive love book online at low prices in india. Send your name and mailing address to gregg at newyork contest open to residents. Johanna adorjan heals with memoir about grandparents suicides. I was crossing friedrichstrasse when the first sentence of an exclusive love came to me. An exclusive love by johanna adorjan, anthea bell kirkus. Win a copy of an exclusive love by johanna adorjan. Hungarian jews, and survivors of the holocaust, they were forced to flee their native country with two small children during the uprising of 1956.
An exclusive love and the thin line between fiction and. What if you started the day knowing that it was going to be your last. Jan 01, 2009 an exclusive love by johanna adorjan on october 1991 my grandparents killed themselves, the first sentence of an exclusive love, a memoir by johanna adorjan grabs the reader and does not let go until the end. Chainsmoking, peculiarly stylish, stubborn, and eccentricvera and istvan were anything but ordinary grandparents. The scholem book has a few pictures inside, but none on the back. Sixteen years after their death, johanna adorjan fills the gaps in their story. Johanna adorjan is a wellknown journalist, and i expected her writing to be topnotch. An exclusive love had so much potential for a fictional tale of grand proportions, but as a memoir it was less interesting. This is a bald question and, as its title suggests, the book itself offers a far more nuanced story. Aug 29, 2010 so an exclusive love sounds like something i can relate to. Johanna adorjan is editor of the culture section of the frankfurter allgemeine zeitung.
Currently, she is an editor of the culture section of the frankfurter allgemeine zeitung and lives in berlin. Her grandfather was ailing and presumably did not have long to live, and her grandmother did not want to survive him. But this story of the authors grandparents, whose lives were full of great sorrow but also rich with joy and oldworld elegance, reads as absolute truth. Buy an exclusive love book online at best prices in india on. That is basically what johanna adorjan has done in an exclusive love translated by anthea bell, her spare, beautiful exploration of why her grandparents killed themselves. The book is both a testament to their love and the record of a grieving family member attempting to make peace with their decision. Mar 18, 2011 an exclusive love is johanna adorjans homage to her grandparents, istva and vera, who, on october 1991 committed suicide at their home in denmark. A memoir by johanna adorjan tells the story of her grandparents, hungarian jews who survived the holocaust, escaped budapest during the 1956 uprising against the communist regime, and died together in a joint suicide in copenhagen in 1991. Text publishing an exclusive love, book by johanna adorjan. Since 2001 she has been an editor of the culture section of the frankfurter allgemeine sonntagszeitung in berlin. I was there to talk with johanna adorjan, author of the memoir an exclusive love, about the suicide of her grandparents some 20 years ago. What do people do on the morning that they know will be their last.
To my disappointment i found the writing very drysome of that may have to do with the fact that it was translated. On october 1991 my grandparents killed themselves, the first sentence of an exclusive love, a memoir by johanna adorjan grabs the reader and does not let go until the end. Smith sat down with adorjan recently to discuss her book. Im reading two suicide memoirs at the same time an exclusive love, and walter benjamin.
It made me wonder, do you consider the book a memoir. Johanna adorjan this book tells the story of vera and istvan, hungarian jews who survived the holocaust, fled budapest in 1956 during the uprising, started a new life in denmark, and committed suicide in copenhagen. An exclusive love by johanna adorjan overdrive rakuten. Johanna adorjan, born in 1971 in stockholm, studied theatre and opera directing. On the back is the best jacket copy ive read on a book in years. It is the type of story that opens up discussions around dinner tables because of the affirmative portrayal of assisted suicide. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. It was a sunday, she writes in an exclusive love, not really the ideal day of. A memoir by johanna adorjan available from rakuten kobo. An exclusive love is the type of exquisite book one reads and finishes in the one sitting.
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