Of Chances and Choices (Paperback)

The old days of communism in Eastern Europe are often seen as time of darkness, fear, and privation. It is true that the years were not always happy, especially with the suffocating presence of the Soviet Union, but surprisingly those were also years of normal life, joy of school, travel, and a vibrant intellectual and political life, even if some of it sometimes had to be hidden from the vigilant eyes of the secret service. This book is about those years in the communist Poland. It is a memoir from the late 1970s, but often going back to the 1960s, 1950s, and sometimes touching upon a Centuries long history of the region. It is written by then a student at Warsaw University, excited with exploring philosophy, literature, and sciences, going through happy and not so happy relationships, and also deeply involved in the opposition to the communist government. The memoir defies many stereotypes of the communist past and often reflects upon our changing views, expectations, and evaluation of the past.