“This is more than journalism; it's a search for personal clarity.”
—Pete Croatto
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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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