On Thursday evening, an author event with Zofia Piłasiewicz took place at the Sybir Memorial Museum. The writer and photographer, who has close ties to the Augustów Forest, spoke about her latest novel entitled ”The Tigress’s Trail.”

Zofia Piłasiewicz is the author of books such as ”Siberian Dream. The Badlands Story” (“Syberyjski sen. Opowieść bezdrożna”), ”Georgia. Halfway to Heaven” (“Gruzja. W pół drogi do nieba”), ”Journey” (“Podróż”), as well as a volume of poetry and numerous journalistic articles. In her latest novel, the taiga serves as the backdrop for extraordinary stories and adventures undertaken by two women: Weronika, a teacher from a small town in eastern Poland and Wiera, a Russian woman whom Weronika meets along the way.

 ”’The Tigress’s Trail’ is a story in which tales I’ve heard and imagined intertwine with the lives of real people. This book was born out of my own experiences and my fascination with history and Siberia itself. I have traveled across Siberia many times, so the descriptions in the book reflect what I saw and lived through,” emphasized Zofia Piłasiewicz.

In ”The Tigress’s Trail,” the storyline unfolds across two parallel timelines. The first is closely tied to 19th-century pioneers and explorers, particularly focusing on Michał Jankowski – a Polish exile and researcher of the Far East at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The second is a contemporary tale of two women on a journey in search of inner strength.

”The modern times plot tells the story of Weronika, who enters the second half of her life – she turns 50, experiences a personal crisis, and feels professionally burned out. At one point, my protagonist decides to break out of this pattern and sets off on a journey to the Far East, retracing the steps of her great-grandfather. During her travels, Weronika meets a mysterious Russian woman named Wiera. Their journey together becomes a transformative experience that changes them forever. Both women try to find within themselves strength, energy – something fierce. The tiger becomes a symbol of this search for fierceness,” the author explained.

The tiger, or more precisely, mysterious jade tiger figurines, also serve as a link between eras. What’s the story behind them?

We encourage you to read Zofia Piłasiewicz’s latest novel!

The next author event will take place on April 10 at 6:00 p.m. at the Sybir Memorial Museum. This time, our guest will be Krzysztof Renik.