Michaël Green

University of Lodz

Dawid Sierakowiak’s Ghetto Diary in the Egodocumental Perspective

The diary written by Dawid Sierakowiak (1924–1943) presents an important piece of written evidence about the life in Poland, just before the outbreak of World War Two, the subsequent persecution of the Jews, and the life in Lodz Ghetto. Sierakowiak, who was just fifteen when his entire world was turned upside down by the horrific events he experienced documented his daily routine, general mood, and his own reflections. In my paper, I will focus on what makes this document important to scholars interested in the history of childhood and privacy, and place it in a longer tradition of egodocuments written by children.