About this item
Named one of the best books of 2014 by NPR, The New Yorker, and The Boston GlobeWhen Glenn Kurtz stumbles upon an old family film in his parents closet in Florida, he has no inkling of its historical significance or of the impact it will have on his life. The film, shot long ago by his grandfather on a sightseeing trip to Europe, includes shaky footage of Paris and the Swiss Alps, with someone inevitably waving at the camera. Astonishingly, David Kurtz also captured on color 16mm film the only known moving images of the thriving, predominantly Jewish town of Nasielsk, Poland, shortly before the communitys destruction. Blissfully unaware of the catastrophe that lay just ahead, he just happened to visit his birthplace in 1938, a year before the Nazi occupation.
About the Author
Glenn Kurtz is a graduate of the New England Conservatory-Tufts University double degree program. He also holds a PhD from Stanford University in German Studies and Comparative Literature. His writing has been published in The New York Times, Lost, ZYZZYVA, Tema Celeste, and elsewhere, and his work has been featured on NPR's "Weekend Edition," "To the Best of our Knowledge," and "West Coast Live." He has taught at Stanford University, San Francisco State University, and California College of the Arts. He now lives in New York City and is working on a novel. Find out about current projects and appearances at his website, www.glennkurtz.com.
