Untold Tales of Love and Shame

About the Book

“Four o’clock is approaching; my daughter is becoming restless, prancing like a colt, ready to bolt out of here. The program is over: The news she will watch at home. But she gives it another try: she fishes out a large sheet of paper from her handbag –she goes around with gigantic handbags- that carries a text in huge capital letters: I LOVE YOU, SQUEEZE MY HAND IF YOU UNDERSTAND. She grabs my left hand; I let her, but do not react. Of course, I could squeeze it – my left hand works fine, but I remain motionless. She sighs, returns the sheet into her handbag and rises, ready to leave.” “…Somewhere I read about a father saying that his child’s heart is a second heart that beats in his chest, right next to his own. I always felt like this about you but I was never able to express is. At most, I could say: “I only have one daughter.”

About the Author

Marianna D. Birnbaum, is Research Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her area of research focuses on the cultural history of Central Europe. Her scholarly work has been translated into French, German, Portuguese, Turkish and Hungarian. Having also turned to fiction, she has published her stories and novels in Hungarian and in English. Her autobiography, 1944 A Year Without Goodbyes is also available in English.