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Swimming in the Dark

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Forbidden love amidst Communist Poland's shadows.

If you're looking for a powerful evocation of illicit love set against a stark political backdrop, "Swimming in the Dark" could truly resonate with you. It's not just a love story; it unearths the profound courage it takes to embrace one's identity and passions in a time and place where doing so could cost everything. The love between Ludwik and Janusz offers a window into the complexities of human connection within an oppressive regime, making it more than just a narrative—it's an experience of emotional and historical depth.

  • The Polari Prize Nominee for First Book (2021)
  • Europese Literatuurprijs Nominee for Longlist (2022)
  • HWA Debut Crown Nominee for Longlist (2020)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
New

Swimming in the Dark

Regular price RM44.32 MYR
Unit price
per
Compare to estimated retail price: RM60.91 MYR  
ISBN: 9781526604989
Authors: Tomasz Jedrowski
Date of Publication: 2021-05-04
Format: Paperback
Goodreads rating: 4.25
(rated by 59953 readers)

Description

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 Andre 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 camping 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 position in the ministry. 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
Condition guide
 

Forbidden love amidst Communist Poland's shadows.

If you're looking for a powerful evocation of illicit love set against a stark political backdrop, "Swimming in the Dark" could truly resonate with you. It's not just a love story; it unearths the profound courage it takes to embrace one's identity and passions in a time and place where doing so could cost everything. The love between Ludwik and Janusz offers a window into the complexities of human connection within an oppressive regime, making it more than just a narrative—it's an experience of emotional and historical depth.

  • The Polari Prize Nominee for First Book (2021)
  • Europese Literatuurprijs Nominee for Longlist (2022)
  • HWA Debut Crown Nominee for Longlist (2020)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.