Barbara Gawroń wrote her diary, “Lost Years” between the years of 1939-1946, when she was just 15 years old. She skillfully narrates the events which befell her, her family and her compatriots at the onset of WW2. In just a few words, she paints the devastation caused by the Soviets on the population of Podlesie.
Together with the descriptions of the horrowing events leading to the forceful resettling of her family to Kazakhstan, she describes her growing unease with the deportation of her father, an army officer, to Kozielsk. The diary presents vigniettes of everyday life with all its difficulties and harsh conditions and severe winters.
Her words reflect both her youthful perception of life and her talent to capture details of hardships suffered in Kazakhstan and later, in the newly formed Polish Army Units, which she joined with her sister, Ada.
The beauty of her young soul and her literary talent leave behind many memorable images.
About the Editor
Anna Jonne-Burns spent her childhood in Poland but for many years has been living in Australia. Her creative writing encompasses educational articles, poetry, short stories and novels.
Her poetry was included in Mother I’m Rooted: An Anthology of Australian Women’s Poets (edited by Kate Jennings) in 1975. Unborn Beauty (edited by Rochelle Manners), Pearcon Education, 2008, Writing From the Peninsula, Fellowship of Australian Writers, Peninsula Branch, 2012.
In 2013 she was short listed in Lord Mayor Creative Writing Awards in Melbourne.
The author is fluent in Polish, English and Russian languages. In 2012 she translated war memoirs written by the army historian, Józef Margules, Warpaths on the Eastern Front (Lionheart Books, Melbourne 2014).
Her first novel, Resilience, was published in 2015 and her romantic novel, Essence of Trust, in 2019. Two collections of short stories: Skewed (2017) and Tangents (2018). All published by Lionheart Books.
Anna is an English teacher. She lives with her husband on Mornington Peninsula and is a mother of three adult children.
