The book "What I Received from God and from People" tells the story of Helena Modjeska (1840-1909) – the greatest American actress of her times, who was one of the first to appear in Shakespeare’s plays on the American soil.
Modjeska appeared both in the greatest theater halls (many times in the Metropolitan Opera), as well as in small theatres, reaching the furthest corners of the United States and Canada. The newspapers reported regularly about her stage appearances and she became so popular that her name was used on a variety of everyday products, from porcelain-ware, through chocolates, to cosmetics.
The book not only tells Modjeska’s story, but it also shows how the two spheres her life – the real world and the world of theater – influenced each other.
Although the book can be read in two evenings, it leaves the reader with an image of an outstanding American woman and a very successful immigrant against the background of her era.
“I am delighted that on the 100th anniversary of her death, Helena Modjeska is being given another chance to shine. Thanks to Joanna Sokołowska-Gwizdka’s book, we can better and more deeply appreciate the actress’s love for Poland, the country she came from, where her professional life was shaped and where her artistic triumphs began. We can better understand her love for a chosen homeland, America, where she reached the peak of her stage success. And finally, we can get a better picture of her admiration for Arden, her American home.”
- Prof. Kazimierz Braun Theater scholar, director, writer, and playwright
Book details
- Paperback with jacket: 132 pages
- Publisher: Borey Publishing
- Published: 2009
- Language: English, Polish (two language versions in one cover)
- Translator: Bożena U. Zaremba
- ISBN: 978-0-615-29344-8
- Product Dimensions: 8.25 x 5.75 x 5/16 inches
