“...examines the complex relationship between the practical and the passionate self, the realist and the dreamer, and the importance of those moments in life that make you feel 'airborne.'”
—Erin Kodicek
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Apr 2010
11th
Twin Loss in the news
It's true, they're an ocean away and I never knew them, but three years ago, I came close to interviewing the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, and his identical twin, Jaroslaw-- then Polish prime minister-- for my book, One and the Same. I ended up deciding that Poland was too far to go for one twin pair, though these two fascinated me: their parallel success in politics and their recognizable entwinement as twins.
And now one is twinless. The president died Saturday in a terrible plane crash that also killed his wife and half his senior government.
The first thought I had was for his brother. Everything I learned researching twin loss -- much of which fills my chapter, "And Then There Was One"-- flooded back to me this weekend as I thought about what Jaroslaw Kaczynski must be feeling. He must obviously participate in the official mourning of the state, but there is unquestionably a very private anguish. Twin loss isn't a superior grief, but I do believe it's a singular one.
The photo of Jaroslaw pressing his head against his brother's coffin spoke louder than any eulogy.
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