Swimming in the Dark: A Novel
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Description
“Imagine Call Me By Your Name set in Communist Poland and you'll get a sense of Jedrowski's moving debut about a consuming love affair amidst a country being torn apart.” — O, The Oprah Magazine
“Captivating both for its shimmering surfaces and its terrifying depths. Tomasz Jedrowski is a remarkable writer.” — Justin Torres, bestselling author of We the Animals
Set in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of Communism, a tender and passionate story of first love between two young men who eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide—a stunningly poetic and heartrending literary debut for fans of André Aciman, Garth Greenwell, and Alan Hollinghurst.
When university student Ludwik meets Janusz at a summer agricultural camp, he is fascinated yet wary of this handsome, carefree stranger. But a chance meeting by the river soon becomes an intense, exhilarating, and all-consuming affair. After their camp duties are fulfilled, the pair spend a dreamlike few weeks in the countryside, bonding over an illicit copy of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. Inhabiting a beautiful, natural world removed from society and its constraints, Ludwik and Janusz fall deeply in love. But in their repressive Communist and Catholic society, the passion they share is utterly unthinkable.
Once they return to Warsaw, the charismatic Janusz quickly rises in the political ranks of the party and is rewarded with a highly coveted government position. Ludwik is drawn toward impulsive acts of protest, unable to ignore rising food prices and the stark economic disparity around them. Their secret love and personal and political differences slowly begin to tear them apart as both men struggle to survive in a regime on the brink of collapse.
Shifting from the intoxication of first love to the quiet melancholy of growing up and growing apart, Swimming in the Dark is a potent blend of romance, postwar politics, intrigue, and history. Lyrical and sensual, immersive and intense, Tomasz Jedrowski’s indelible and thought-provoking literary debut explores freedom and love in all its incarnations.
Book Information
Posts
Wunderschön (hab geweint)
Obwohl man j auch schon am Klappentext erkennt, dass es wohl eher kein Happy End wird und man sich auf ein traurigeres Buch einstellen muss, war ich zum Schluss dann doch genau davon überrascht. Ich wollte einfach, dass es klappt, dass die beiden glücklich sind und auch ein Leben zusammen führen können. Aber genau das ist eben zu der Zeit in Polen nicht möglich. Grade deswegen aber auch wirklich wunderschön zu sehen, wie Ludwik zum Schluss von Hania unterstützt wird, emotional und auch mit dem Visum etc. Freut mich, dass er sich ihr anvertraut hat <3 Generell das Character Development von Ludwik!! Wie er anfangs noch Scham empfindet und dann mit der Zeit weiß, dass er für sich selbst einstehen muss und das auch tut <3 Ich hoffe, er findet seinen Weg in den USA und kann ein glückliches Leben leben. Hab stark geweint zum Schluss, besser als eine 10/10
This book made me angry & angry only
4.3⭐ | 0🌶️ | 2💞 | 3.8🔥 | 4🧪 | 4💌 (rating system in bio) Im fucking angry, the ending made me so so fucking angry Janusz made me fucking angry UGH!!!!!!!!!!! I hope Ludwik gets the happy ending he deserves The writing was amongst the most beautiful I have seen, I just wish the political conflict was explored more, maybe then I would have given it 5 stars
Ein Roman mit viel Herz(schmerz)
Was mich an Jedrowskis Roman besonders gecatched hat, waren die vielen Facetten. Sowohl im Erzählstil mit vielen ruhigen Momenten, die sehr viel Tiefe hatten, gefolgt von plötzlicher Spannung. Auch die Protagonist*innen schienen sehr unterschiedlich zu sein und doch liebevoll miteinander verbunden: freundschaftlich, familiär und romantisch. Dabei hat mich Ludwiks weiche und emotionale Art genauso berührt wie Januszs kühle Verletzlichkeit. Am Ende haben beide den gleichen Kampf um Freiheit geführt, nur auf völlig unterschiedliche Weise. Was mich ein bisschen gestört hat, war die Kürze des Aufbegehrens von Ludwik gegen das System. Diese Stelle hatte für mich so viel Feuer, dass ich mir mehr davon gewünscht habe. Aber es blieb bei einem inneren Kampf, den er mehr mit sich selbst ausgetragen hat als mit der Außenwelt und auch das hatte ganz viel Stärke.
My new favorite book <3
I fell in love with the story and the characters. The setting in Communist Poland accompanied the plot and the struggles perfectly. Making the reader feel frustration, anger and helplessness at the same time. The events are authentic and truthfully described. It initiates a debate about the West and the East, shows how politics can drive people apart and the privileges we have. Tamosz Jedeowski’s style is poetic and picturesque which let’s you imagine the story lively. I recommend this book with all my heart.
Eigentlich 4,5 Sterne, vielleicht sogar 4,9 (es hat wirklich nur ein kleiner spark gefehlt) Uhhh i enjoyed it! Der schreibstil so federleicht, fast pacing und whimsical und doch so reich an Tiefgründigkeit und der Schwere des Seins. 80er Jahre in Polen. 2 Studenten verlieben sich. Man folgt ludwitz, einen Literaturstudenten der versucht seine Sexualität zu unterdrücken und dann später anzunehmen und zu verstehen und keinen Scham zu fühlen und er träumt von einer Welt in der er frei sein kann, frei vom nicht funktionierenden unterdrückten Kommunismus der Soviets. Und janusz, arm geboren und er hat seinen Weg gefunden wie er von dem herrschenden System in Polen profitieren kann und dementsprechend überzeugter Genosse und muss leider dafür eine Bedürfnisse unterdrücken. Die beiden so gegensätzlich sie sind verlieben sich ohne Scham dafür zu fühlen. Und alles was sie wollen ist glücklich sein. Ich habe den Roman im Urlaub in Polen gelesen und der Einblick in die polnische Geschichte sowohl vor Ort als auch im fiktiven Ort war ganz ganz toll! Der Autor hat eine wundervolle Fähigkeit, das Gefühl in terms mit seiner Sexualität (vor allem in dieser Zeit und diesem Land) einzufangen. Mit eine der besten Geschichten die ich bisher gelesen habe, die versuchen das queer experience in Worte zu fassen. Die Geschichte hat mir wirklich sehr tief berührt! Es hat mich sehr an fellow travellers erinnert, nur spielt es im Sozialismus und nicht im kapitalismus.
I loved the writing of this book and enjoyed this read very much. It was something I haven’t read before with the setting of communist Poland in the 1980s. Through the book one could, to some small extent, understand what people were going through such as poverty etc. For me it was also very informative and interesting with the included historic elements through which I learned more about the historic background. I loved that the protagonists characters and worldviews were opposite with Ludwik representing the modern and open view and Janusz supporting the communist worldview, which showed that because of these views there couldn’t have been a happy ending as they wanted different things in life. I think the narrative of Ludwiks perspective was very fitting and the flashbacks of his prior life and childhood through which you could understand the actions and thoughts of Ludwik. There were many beautifully written parallels and comparisons which underlined the emotions and feelings.
A book as gentle as a thunderstorm with lightning as bright as the sun itself. The language is loving and picturesque, direct in places and then again as if in a dream. It perfectly captures the melancholy, the love and the sadness - the despair. This book hurts and warms the heart - ends with pain and maybe somehow hope? Ends with both. All I can say is that I was captivated by how the story of them was told. I was in love and I cried. It made me sad and angry .... Made me close my eyes and turn my nose up to the sky. A story about love and fear. About courage and despair. About freedom and "being stuck". Surrendering and breaking free. Wonderful.
„This wasn’t distraction or entertainment: here was a book that seemed to have been written for me, which lifted me up into its realm and united me with something that seemed to have been there all along and that I seemed to be a part of. It felt as if the words and the thoughts of the narrator—despite their agony, despite their pain—healed some of my agony and my pain, simply by existing.“
Ending the book with I want borscht and pierogi and warm poppy-seed cake is honestly iconic. I enjoyed the crap out of this book. This is my first polish book and I was amazed about the culture and storyline this novel showcased. It’s a beautiful and heart-wrenching story, following Ludwik, a student that lives in the post-war weirdness in Poland. Everything changes and yet so much is the same. The fact that this is a debut, is mindblowing. The writing is crazy good and fuck the acknowledgment already moved me in a way I can’t explain. Perfect title, perfect cover. I loved this. We swam, fearless and free and invisible in the brilliant dark. ⭐️ 4.5
„Because you were right when you said that people can’t always give us what we want from them; that you can’t ask them to love you the way you want. No one can be blamed for that. And the odds had been stacked against us from the start: we had no manual, no one to show us the way. Not one example of a happy couple made up of boys. How were we supposed to know what to do? Did we even believe that we deserved to get away with happiness?“ Do I have to say more ?
really enjoyed this book, mostly for its beautiful writing style. the story itself is very lovely, too, slow-paced and tender. and it's the perfect sad summer romance! i've also never read a book set in poland in the 1980s and found it interesting to learn more about that political climate. the balance between it being a lighter & complex read also appealed to me, and i recommend it if you're looking for a literary queer coming of age story.
Description
“Imagine Call Me By Your Name set in Communist Poland and you'll get a sense of Jedrowski's moving debut about a consuming love affair amidst a country being torn apart.” — O, The Oprah Magazine
“Captivating both for its shimmering surfaces and its terrifying depths. Tomasz Jedrowski is a remarkable writer.” — Justin Torres, bestselling author of We the Animals
Set in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of Communism, a tender and passionate story of first love between two young men who eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide—a stunningly poetic and heartrending literary debut for fans of André Aciman, Garth Greenwell, and Alan Hollinghurst.
When university student Ludwik meets Janusz at a summer agricultural camp, he is fascinated yet wary of this handsome, carefree stranger. But a chance meeting by the river soon becomes an intense, exhilarating, and all-consuming affair. After their camp duties are fulfilled, the pair spend a dreamlike few weeks in the countryside, bonding over an illicit copy of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. Inhabiting a beautiful, natural world removed from society and its constraints, Ludwik and Janusz fall deeply in love. But in their repressive Communist and Catholic society, the passion they share is utterly unthinkable.
Once they return to Warsaw, the charismatic Janusz quickly rises in the political ranks of the party and is rewarded with a highly coveted government position. Ludwik is drawn toward impulsive acts of protest, unable to ignore rising food prices and the stark economic disparity around them. Their secret love and personal and political differences slowly begin to tear them apart as both men struggle to survive in a regime on the brink of collapse.
Shifting from the intoxication of first love to the quiet melancholy of growing up and growing apart, Swimming in the Dark is a potent blend of romance, postwar politics, intrigue, and history. Lyrical and sensual, immersive and intense, Tomasz Jedrowski’s indelible and thought-provoking literary debut explores freedom and love in all its incarnations.
Book Information
Posts
Wunderschön (hab geweint)
Obwohl man j auch schon am Klappentext erkennt, dass es wohl eher kein Happy End wird und man sich auf ein traurigeres Buch einstellen muss, war ich zum Schluss dann doch genau davon überrascht. Ich wollte einfach, dass es klappt, dass die beiden glücklich sind und auch ein Leben zusammen führen können. Aber genau das ist eben zu der Zeit in Polen nicht möglich. Grade deswegen aber auch wirklich wunderschön zu sehen, wie Ludwik zum Schluss von Hania unterstützt wird, emotional und auch mit dem Visum etc. Freut mich, dass er sich ihr anvertraut hat <3 Generell das Character Development von Ludwik!! Wie er anfangs noch Scham empfindet und dann mit der Zeit weiß, dass er für sich selbst einstehen muss und das auch tut <3 Ich hoffe, er findet seinen Weg in den USA und kann ein glückliches Leben leben. Hab stark geweint zum Schluss, besser als eine 10/10
This book made me angry & angry only
4.3⭐ | 0🌶️ | 2💞 | 3.8🔥 | 4🧪 | 4💌 (rating system in bio) Im fucking angry, the ending made me so so fucking angry Janusz made me fucking angry UGH!!!!!!!!!!! I hope Ludwik gets the happy ending he deserves The writing was amongst the most beautiful I have seen, I just wish the political conflict was explored more, maybe then I would have given it 5 stars
Ein Roman mit viel Herz(schmerz)
Was mich an Jedrowskis Roman besonders gecatched hat, waren die vielen Facetten. Sowohl im Erzählstil mit vielen ruhigen Momenten, die sehr viel Tiefe hatten, gefolgt von plötzlicher Spannung. Auch die Protagonist*innen schienen sehr unterschiedlich zu sein und doch liebevoll miteinander verbunden: freundschaftlich, familiär und romantisch. Dabei hat mich Ludwiks weiche und emotionale Art genauso berührt wie Januszs kühle Verletzlichkeit. Am Ende haben beide den gleichen Kampf um Freiheit geführt, nur auf völlig unterschiedliche Weise. Was mich ein bisschen gestört hat, war die Kürze des Aufbegehrens von Ludwik gegen das System. Diese Stelle hatte für mich so viel Feuer, dass ich mir mehr davon gewünscht habe. Aber es blieb bei einem inneren Kampf, den er mehr mit sich selbst ausgetragen hat als mit der Außenwelt und auch das hatte ganz viel Stärke.
My new favorite book <3
I fell in love with the story and the characters. The setting in Communist Poland accompanied the plot and the struggles perfectly. Making the reader feel frustration, anger and helplessness at the same time. The events are authentic and truthfully described. It initiates a debate about the West and the East, shows how politics can drive people apart and the privileges we have. Tamosz Jedeowski’s style is poetic and picturesque which let’s you imagine the story lively. I recommend this book with all my heart.
Eigentlich 4,5 Sterne, vielleicht sogar 4,9 (es hat wirklich nur ein kleiner spark gefehlt) Uhhh i enjoyed it! Der schreibstil so federleicht, fast pacing und whimsical und doch so reich an Tiefgründigkeit und der Schwere des Seins. 80er Jahre in Polen. 2 Studenten verlieben sich. Man folgt ludwitz, einen Literaturstudenten der versucht seine Sexualität zu unterdrücken und dann später anzunehmen und zu verstehen und keinen Scham zu fühlen und er träumt von einer Welt in der er frei sein kann, frei vom nicht funktionierenden unterdrückten Kommunismus der Soviets. Und janusz, arm geboren und er hat seinen Weg gefunden wie er von dem herrschenden System in Polen profitieren kann und dementsprechend überzeugter Genosse und muss leider dafür eine Bedürfnisse unterdrücken. Die beiden so gegensätzlich sie sind verlieben sich ohne Scham dafür zu fühlen. Und alles was sie wollen ist glücklich sein. Ich habe den Roman im Urlaub in Polen gelesen und der Einblick in die polnische Geschichte sowohl vor Ort als auch im fiktiven Ort war ganz ganz toll! Der Autor hat eine wundervolle Fähigkeit, das Gefühl in terms mit seiner Sexualität (vor allem in dieser Zeit und diesem Land) einzufangen. Mit eine der besten Geschichten die ich bisher gelesen habe, die versuchen das queer experience in Worte zu fassen. Die Geschichte hat mir wirklich sehr tief berührt! Es hat mich sehr an fellow travellers erinnert, nur spielt es im Sozialismus und nicht im kapitalismus.
I loved the writing of this book and enjoyed this read very much. It was something I haven’t read before with the setting of communist Poland in the 1980s. Through the book one could, to some small extent, understand what people were going through such as poverty etc. For me it was also very informative and interesting with the included historic elements through which I learned more about the historic background. I loved that the protagonists characters and worldviews were opposite with Ludwik representing the modern and open view and Janusz supporting the communist worldview, which showed that because of these views there couldn’t have been a happy ending as they wanted different things in life. I think the narrative of Ludwiks perspective was very fitting and the flashbacks of his prior life and childhood through which you could understand the actions and thoughts of Ludwik. There were many beautifully written parallels and comparisons which underlined the emotions and feelings.
A book as gentle as a thunderstorm with lightning as bright as the sun itself. The language is loving and picturesque, direct in places and then again as if in a dream. It perfectly captures the melancholy, the love and the sadness - the despair. This book hurts and warms the heart - ends with pain and maybe somehow hope? Ends with both. All I can say is that I was captivated by how the story of them was told. I was in love and I cried. It made me sad and angry .... Made me close my eyes and turn my nose up to the sky. A story about love and fear. About courage and despair. About freedom and "being stuck". Surrendering and breaking free. Wonderful.
„This wasn’t distraction or entertainment: here was a book that seemed to have been written for me, which lifted me up into its realm and united me with something that seemed to have been there all along and that I seemed to be a part of. It felt as if the words and the thoughts of the narrator—despite their agony, despite their pain—healed some of my agony and my pain, simply by existing.“
Ending the book with I want borscht and pierogi and warm poppy-seed cake is honestly iconic. I enjoyed the crap out of this book. This is my first polish book and I was amazed about the culture and storyline this novel showcased. It’s a beautiful and heart-wrenching story, following Ludwik, a student that lives in the post-war weirdness in Poland. Everything changes and yet so much is the same. The fact that this is a debut, is mindblowing. The writing is crazy good and fuck the acknowledgment already moved me in a way I can’t explain. Perfect title, perfect cover. I loved this. We swam, fearless and free and invisible in the brilliant dark. ⭐️ 4.5
„Because you were right when you said that people can’t always give us what we want from them; that you can’t ask them to love you the way you want. No one can be blamed for that. And the odds had been stacked against us from the start: we had no manual, no one to show us the way. Not one example of a happy couple made up of boys. How were we supposed to know what to do? Did we even believe that we deserved to get away with happiness?“ Do I have to say more ?
really enjoyed this book, mostly for its beautiful writing style. the story itself is very lovely, too, slow-paced and tender. and it's the perfect sad summer romance! i've also never read a book set in poland in the 1980s and found it interesting to learn more about that political climate. the balance between it being a lighter & complex read also appealed to me, and i recommend it if you're looking for a literary queer coming of age story.