Popular European Memoir Books
Find memoir books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (87)
81.
Walk Through Walls : A Memoir by Marina Abramovic EN
SerbiaDescription:
“I had experienced absolute freedom—I had felt that my body was without boundaries, limitless; that pain didn’t matter, that nothing mattered at all—and it intoxicated me.” In 2010, more than 750,000 people stood in line at Marina Abramović’s MoMA retrospective for the chance to sit across from her and communicate with her nonverbally in an unprecedented durational performance that lasted more than 700 hours. This celebration of nearly fifty years of groundbreaking performance art demonstrated once again that Marina Abramović is truly a force of nature. The child of Communist war-hero parents ... continue
82.
War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans EN
BelgiumDescription:
Shortly before his death in 1981, Stefan Hertmans' grandfather gave him a couple of filled exercise books. Stories he'd heard as a child had led Hertmans to suspect that their contents might be disturbing, and for years he didn’t dare to open them. When he finally did, he discovered unexpected secrets. His grandfather’s life was marked by years of childhood poverty in late-nineteenth-century Belgium, by horrific experiences on the frontlines during the First World War and by the loss of the young love of his life. He sublimated his grief in the silence of painting. Drawing on these diary entri... continue
Germany84.
Where You Come From by Saša Stanišić EN
Country: Europe / 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Description:
In August, 1992, a boy and his mother flee the war in Yugoslavia and arrive in Germany. Six months later, the boy’s father joins them, bringing a brown suitcase, insomnia, and a scar on his thigh. Saša Stanišic’s Where You Come From is a novel about this family, whose world is uprooted and remade by war: their history, their life before the conflict, and the years that followed their escape as they created a new life in a new country. Blending autofiction, fable, and choose-your-own-adventure, Where You Come From is set in a village where only thirteen people remain, in lost and made-up memori... continue
85.
Wintering : The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May EN
Country: Europe / 
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! AS HEARD ON NPR MORNING EDITION AND ON BEING WITH KRISTA TIPPETT “Katherine May opens up exactly what I and so many need to hear but haven't known how to name.” —Krista Tippett, On Being “Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself. . . . This is truly a beautiful book.” —Elizabeth Gilbert "Proves that there is grace in letting go, stepping back and giving yourself time to repair in the dark...May is a clear-eyed observer and her language is steady, honest and accurate—capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes." —Wal... continue
86.
Wir Kinder Von Bahnhof Zoo by Christiane F. DE
Description:
I selvbiografisk form fortæller den 15-årige Christiane, hvordan samfundsmæssige forhold, dårlige familie- og boligforhold, samt manglende venner får hende til at blive heroin-junkie og barneluder som 13-årig
87.
Zlata's Diary : A Child's Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipović EN
Country: Europe / Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Description:
In a voice both innocent and wise, touchingly reminiscent of Anne Frank's, Zlata Filipovic's diary has awoken the conscience of the world. Now thirteen years old, Zlata began her diary just before her eleventh birthday, when there was peace in Sarajevo and her life was that of a bright, intelligent, carefree young girl. Her early entries describe her friends, her new skis, her family, her grades at school, her interest in joining the Madonna Fan Club. And then, on television, she sees the bombs falling on Dubrovnik. Though repelled by the sight, Zlata cannot conceive of the same thing happenin... continue