No Snow in December

Irena and Julek are a rare breed; Polish Jews who survived the WWII in Europe. In 1949 they arrive in Australia, half a world away from family, friends and the familiar patterns of the past. They find many problems: strange landscapes, job opportunities limited by suspicion of ‘reffos’, exploitative fellow Poles, language barriers, money, and real and imagined discrimination. Despite being haunted by the spectre of the war, Irena slowly becomes an Australian. Based on Maria Lewitt’s own experience, No Snow in December is a sensitive and humorous evocation of the migrant experience. Winner, NSW Premier’s Literary Award in 1986.