Irène Némirovsky Exhibition in New York City

I was recently contacted by Hannah Furst of the Museum of Jewish Heritage with info about an ongoing exhibition on Irène Némirovsky, author of, among other titles, Suite Francaise (which I reviewed here). Even if you won't be in New York City any time soon you should really check out the exhibition's website - it is fascinating.

Here's what Hannah had to say:

I wanted to let you know about an exciting new exhibition about Irène Némirovsky's life, work, and legacy that opened on September 24, 2008 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage —A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City. Woman of Letters: Irène Némirovsky and Suite Française, which will run through the middle of March, will include powerful rare artifacts — the actual handwritten manuscript for Suite Française, the valise in which it was found, and many personal papers and family photos. The majority of these documents and artifacts have never been outside of France.

For fans of her work, this exhibition is an opportunity to really “get to know” Irene. And for those who can’t visit, there will be a special website that will live on the Museum's site http://www.mjhnyc.org/. The Museum will host several public programs over the course of the exhibition’s run that will put Némirovsky’s work and life into historical and literary context.

Book clubs and groups are invited to the Museum for tours and discussions in the exhibition’s adjacent Salon (by appointment). It is the Museum’s hope that the exhibit will engage visitors and promote dialogue about this extraordinary writer and the complex time in which she lived and died. To book a group tour, please contact Tracy Bradshaw at 646.437.4304 or tbradshaw@mjhnyc.org.

Please visit our website at http://www.mjhnyc.org/ for up-to-date information about upcoming public programs or to join our e-bulletin list. Thanks for sharing this info with your readers. If you need any more, please do not hesitate to contact me at hfurst@mjhnyc.org.

Has anyone been to this museum before? Do you have plans to go? Have you checked out the website? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And if anyone is participating in the War Through the Generations Challenge: World War II, you should consider reading Suite Francaise. The story behind it is fascinating!