JANINA BECKSTEIN and The Many Ghosts of Kraków: a novel
About this ebook
Her name is Janina Beckstein. Born in 1935 and, as of this writing, 90 years old, she witnessed the horrors of World War II, the destruction of her Jewish community, the separation of families, and the brutal occupation of her homeland. When I first noticed her, she was sitting alone at a chess table in Washington Square Park. It was a crisp autumn afternoon, the park bustling with life: students from NYU, street musicians, children’s laughter mingling with the bark of dogs and the honking of horns. In front of her was a chessboard, its pieces arranged with precision. Her eyes were scanning the park with both curiosity and detachment. No opponent sat across from her. Was she waiting for someone?"
I was struck at first by her beauty. Something about her reminded me of the actress Lilia Skala, a family friend, long gone. Lilia Skala was a luminous presence exuding elegance and great intelligence. She had won an Oscar for her performance in Lilies of the Field.
My 84-year-old self stepped forward and, with much hesitation, asked, 'Could I join you for a game?'
“Of course,” she said. “Sit. Sit.”
Her accent was Polish, and that, coupled with her advancing age and the sadness in her eyes, instantly conveyed a life shaped by wars and heartbreak. How well I knew that look. So do millions of others.
But who was she?
Her memories were vivid. She spoke of a childhood in Kraków Poland, of the war that tore her world apart, of the resilience it demanded, and of the long years of rebuilding. She shared tales of love and hate, of pity and terror, of faith in humanity, the joys of motherhood, all woven together with a perspective born of wisdom.
This is not a biography, nor is it a history. It is just a record of one unique voice and a chance encounter with someone special in Washington Square Park. In other words, a typical New York story.
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About the author
PHILIP DOSSICK is the New York Times critically acclaimed writer and director of the motion picture The P.O.W.
He has written for television, including the outstanding drama, Transplant, produced by David Susskind for CBS.
His most recent books include Aztecs: Epoch Of Social Revolution, Sex And Dreams, Mark Twain In Seattle, The Naked Citizen: Notes On Privacy In The Twenty-First Century, Lurid Tales & Classic Oddities, Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Remembering Henry David Thoreau, The Deposition, Vincent Van Gogh: Madness And Magic, Oscar Wilde: Sodomy and Heresy, Abraham Lincoln: 5 Speeches that Changed America, Lenny Bruce: The Myth of Free Speech, Jack London: The Maelstrom Collection, The Art of the Novella, Times That try Men's Souls: Henry David Thoreau and Thomas Paine on Slavery and Civil Disobedience, Master and Protégé: Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, Ghost Dance Prophets: Wovoka, Lincoln, and Franz Boas, Voces de Libertad, Arrested! United States vs. Susan B. Anthony Regarding a Woman's Right to Vote, The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, The Romantic Poetry of Robert Burns - The Soul of Scotland, The Outline of History, Volumes I and II by H.G. Wells, Discovering Japanese Classical Literature, Gina and Frank - A Brief Conversation With Strangers, Masculinette and Femininique: The Lyric Poetry of John Keats, Slab City USA, The Oscar Wilde Story, and Musings: Selected Writings 1978-2018, Nikola Tesla "My Autobiography" and "Talking With The Planets." And Janina Beckstein and the Many Ghosts of Krakow.
