18 BOOK REVIEW
From Poland to Britain with love and anguish
tHe clash of cultures between Sixties Britain and three generations of a Polish emigrant family settling into life in the north of england provides a compelling background to Joanna Czechowska’s first novel. the Black Madonna of Derby
is sure to strike a chord with countless Poles who have faced coming to terms with life in a foreign country. this bittersweet tale is told
with tenderness and dollops of humour as the matriarchal Babcia watches her daughter and grandchildren assimilate into the British way of life. Meanwhile she hankers to return to Poland, where she can be buried beside her beloved husband – referred to throughout as the Prince, who died a hero fighting in the First World War. Daughter Helena
holds the family together as Babcia dishes out scorn to her ineffectual son- in-law tadeusz and wayward grand-daughter Wanda, whose head is full of mini-skirts and nail polish. even six-year-old Janek becomes the enemy when he masters english. only dutiful Zosia, who dotes on her grandmother and enjoys Polish Saturday school, is spared Babcia’s scorn. But this
is a Polish family, so nothing is straight-forward and as the story progresses, so values shift and heroes become less noble and the down-trodden rise. nothing is quite as it seems.
it’s a very cleverly woven tale that will run you through the range of emotions. the author is the
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Read the fascinating story behind the book
daughter of a Polish father and english mother and was born in Derby,
where the novel is set.
She learned Polish from her grandmother as a child but refused to speak it after her Babcia died – until just a few years ago. the Black Madonna of Derby
is also available in Polish, under the title of Goodby Polsko – translated by the author’s cousin.
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