MJCCA Book Fest In Your Living Room Live Presents David Grossman in conversation with Jessica Handler - More Than I Love My Life Virtual Event
The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta welcomes Man Booker Prize-winning author David Grossman for a discussion of his book, “More Than I Love My Life,” on Friday, October 22, 2021, at 1 pm (EST). Grossman will appear in conversation with Atlanta’s own Jessica Handler, award-winning author of “The Magnetic Girl.
This program is presented in partnership with the National JCC Literary Consortium.
Tickets options are as follows:
-Admit one - Free (does not include a copy of the book); or
-Admit one for $36 (includes a hardcover copy of “More Than I Love My Life.” Price covers shipping.) All books will be shipped after the event.
About the Book
“More Than I Love My Life” is the story of three strong women: Vera, age ninety; her daughter, Nina; and her granddaughter, Gili, who at thirty-nine is a filmmaker and a wary consumer of affection. A bitter secret divides each mother and daughter pair, though Gili—abandoned by Nina when she was just three—has always been close to her grandmother.
With Gili making the arrangements, they travel together to Goli Otok, a barren island off the coast of Croatia, where Vera was imprisoned and tortured for three years as a young wife after she refused to betray her husband and denounce him as an enemy of the people. This unlikely journey—filtered through the lens of Gili’s camera, as she seeks to make a film that might help explain her life—lays bare the intertwining of fear, love, and mercy, and the complex overlapping demands of romantic and parental passion.
“More Than I Love My Life” was inspired by the true story of one of David Grossman’s longtime confidantes, a woman who, in the early 1950s, was held on the notorious Goli Otok (“the Adriatic Alcatraz”). With flashbacks to the stalwart Vera protecting what was most precious on the wretched rock where she was held, and Grossman’s fearless examination of the human heart, this swift novel is a thrilling addition to the oeuvre of one of our greatest living novelists, whose revered moral voice continues to resonate around the world.
About the Author
David Grossman was born in Jerusalem. He is the author of numerous works of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker and has been translated into more than forty languages. He is the recipient of many prizes, including the French Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the Buxtehuder Bulle in Germany, and the Man Booker International Prize – in addition to many others. He lives in Jerusalem.
