A writer and photographer, educated as a psychologist. The author of the albums ,,Dużo kobiet” (‘Many women’) and “Auschwitz – co ja tu robię?” (‘Auschwitz – What Am I Doing Here?’). His photographs have been exhibited almost worldwide. He has published collections of conversations titled ,,Ocaleni z XX wieku” (‘Survivors of the 20th Century’), ,,Oskarżam Auschwitz. Opowieści rodzinne” (‘Accusing Auschwitz: Family Stories’), and ,,Księga wyjścia” (‘The Book of Exodus’), as well as two volumes of short stories: “Rejwach”, which was nominated for the Nike Literary Award and the Angelus Central European Literature Award, with its American edition translated by Sean Gasper Bye making it to the finals of the National Jewish Book Awards 2022 and being nominated for The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, and ,,Poufne” (‘Confidential’). In 2021, he made his directorial debut with the documentary film „Dowód tożsamości” (‘Proof of Identity’), produced by the Museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN. For years, he has been exploring the issues and history of Polish Jews in the 20th century, asking himself and his interviewees questions about what it’s like to be Jewish in Poland and what it truly means. For several years, he has been conducting workshops on personal history writing. In July, his latest book ,,Jezus umarł w Polsce” (‘Jesus Died in Poland’), was published by Agora Publishing.
Recenzje:
,,Hourras et désarrois”
,,Trente-et-une histoires défilent, sous forme de témoignages, poignantes, tragi-comiques, sans pathos. Un livre fort et universel dont le titre original, que l’on pourrait traduire par « Raffut », résume bien la démarche de Mikolaj Grynberg : faire du bruit pour que les Polonais affrontent enfin leur passé et dénoncent l’antisémitisme qui empoisonne encore aujourd’hui le discours public et politique dans un pays dirigé par la droite ultra-conservatrice.” Catherine Durand, Marie-Claire
,,Ces vies fracassées, ces traumatismes, ces dénis, Mikolaj Grynberg les a traduits en 31 nouvelles poignantes, violentes, bouleversantes, écartant emphase et grandiloquence.” Maryan Charruau, Sud-Ouest
,,Mikołaj Grynberg enquête sur les traces mentales, celles que l’on ne peut pas effacer, celles des derniers témoins ou de leurs enfants nés en Pologne à la veille de la Shoah ou dans les années qui suivirent.” Michaël de Saint-Cheron, La Règle du jeu
,,À cette longueur et à cette densité, on ne parle plus de nouvelles, mais de microfictions, façon Régis Jauffret. […] une force littéraire qui ne s’embarrassent guère de fioritures. […] Un recueil au style lapidaire, et passionnant.” Sophie Rosemont, Vogue France
,,I’d Like to Say Sorry, but There’s No One to Say Sorry To.”
“These small, searing prose pieces are moving and unsettling at the same time. If the diagnosis they present is right, then we have a great problem in Poland.” Olga Tokarczuk, Nobel Prize laureate and author of Flights
“Grynberg’s writing is sharp, edged with a sarcastic wit and a touch of black humour, yet underlined by an air of tragedy. . . . I’d Like to Say I’m Sorry is not only insightful, but also an important read.” Canadian Jewish News
“Grynberg writes with a careful, almost stoic format. . . . His style is both erudite and cautious. . . . Like cracking an egg open, Grynberg peels away the outer, protective layers of ego, leaving bare the pathos of bigotry and the relentless striving toward understanding.” New York Journal of Books
Wywiady:
,,It’s impossible to understand how six million people were individually killed. And it’s impossible to come to terms with the sorrow they left behind. Slowly, I’m beginning to realize that what I do may be a way of mourning.” -says the author
,,I think the secret to toxic social relationships is taboo. If we can speak openly about what happened, then even if it’s difficult in the process, we can eventually find peace. But here, everything related to Jews is taboo. Well, maybe except for ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and Jankiel.” – Mikołaj Grynberg says in a conversation with Michał Okoński in Tygodnik Powszechny.
,,I won’t leave Poland; this is my country. There is no other that is more mine. It can be cruel to me at times like now, but I’ve decided to live this way. I have no other homeland.”- says Mikołaj Grynberg.
Michał Nogaś talks to Grynberg not only about his latest publication. This meeting on Radio Książki is also a return to ,,Rejwach” the author’s previous book in which characters discussed, among other things, what it means today to be a Polish Jew and why some of them concealed this fact from their closest ones throughout their lives.