Notes from Exile, with Sabina Baral

To register for this free in-person program, click here. The Library is located at 1835 Ellis Street in San Francisco, with free garage parking at 1227 Pierce Street between Ellis and Eddy.  

“Moving, truthful, and wise account of exile from Poland in 1968.” —Olga Tokarczuk, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature

In 1968, the Communist regime in Poland unleashed a state-sponsored antisemitic campaign, leaving Jewish families—mostly Holocaust survivors—without prospects for further life in the country. Sabina Baral, a 20-year-old student at the time, chronicles her family’s harrowing journey as they were stripped of their citizenship, uprooted from their home, and thrust into an uncertain world. While Poland was fraught with xenophobia and hate, the reception in other countries offered a more welcoming respite.

Baral’s deeply personal narrative goes beyond displacement to capture the emotional weight of being labeled “unwanted,” the profound challenges of forced emigration, and the unyielding hope for dignity and belonging. From bittersweet goodbyes in Poland to long stopovers in Vienna and Rome, her story reflects the universal struggles of immigrants navigating systemic oppression, cultural dislocation, and prejudice.

This is not a Holocaust memoir, but rather a generational memoir that examines the enduring impact of antisemitism over time. Burdened by the trauma of Holocaust survival, Baral sheds light on the scars left by systemic hatred, offering an intimate portrait of the human cost of bigotry and exclusion.

Notes from Exile has been a celebrated literary success in Poland, with six editions and acclaimed adaptations for theater and television. A newly published English edition invites readers of all backgrounds to reflect on the resilience of those who have endured exile and to draw timeless lessons from history’s profound narratives.

Sabina Baral was born in Wrocław — a Polish city risen from German rubble. An only child of two Holocaust survivors, she was exiled from her country in 1968 and came to the United States. She lived in Stockholm, Sweden for fourteen years before returning to the Bay Area in 2019. She has lectured in design and history of architecture. Since publishing Notes from Exile she has returned to Poland numerous times for interviews and theatrical adaptations.