Błażej Brzostek, A Slice of the World. Warsaw's history from the start

Fifty stories woven around selected objects from the Museum of Warsaw – from the robes of Mazovian dukes to a Palace of Culture-shaped headdress worn by drag queen Shady Lady. One tale seamlessly transitions into another, together creating a captivating history of Warsaw – the eponymous “slice of the world”, where languages, goods, and customs of people arriving from different countries intertwined and mingled from the very beginning.

More than merely describing important events and figures, Błażej Brzostek tells a story that ignites the reader’s imagination. We can easily envision the city’s ever-changing face, observe the daily lives of its inhabitants, and even listen to the sounds of Warsaw through the ages.

Błażej Brzostek is a historian specialising in urban history and social life, as well as women’s history. His works include studies on Stalinist-era workers, the cuisine of communist Poland, and the aspirations of Bucharest and Warsaw to become “Little Parises”. He is the author of Wstecz [Backwards], a history of Warsaw written in reverse chronological order.