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Not There is a beautiful collection of reportage exploring loss of all kinds, from grief to absence of small things. Szczygieł’s essays follow a Czech poet, a Ukrainian soldier, a Polish accountant, an Albanian poet, an Israeli writer and travels with his father, as each consider their losses and their gains. “Not There is about ordinary people and the things that have happened to them, and it’s impossible for the reader not to share the emotions underlying the stories as they prompt us to think of our own losses, and our compensations. It’s also about how we remember things – unreliably on the whole – and how our idea of the truth may be a very personal one.” Antonia Lloyd-Jones, translator Julian Barnes commented on Szczygieł’s previous book, Gottland (Melville House, 2014, tr. Antonia Lloyd-Jones): “Szczygieł is strange and funny, constantly off at jaunty tangents.” Look out for a copy from all good bookshops on 6th November, or you can purchase it on our website here! P.S. For those with vase-envy, it was made by the talented Lise Herud Braten (@coloursoftheland).
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