The Audio Long Read Teeth as time capsules: Soviet secrets and my dentist grandmother
Jan 6, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Jacob Mikanowski, author and history enthusiast, delves into the life of his grandmother Zosia, a dentist navigating postwar Warsaw. He unveils the eerie secrets she encountered while treating prisoners and spies. Listeners are taken on a journey through the intertwined lives of Eastern Europeans during the Soviet era. The episodes touch on the significance of teeth as symbols of personal identity and history, and even explore a quirky dental mishap that connects to Mikanowski's Lithuanian roots.
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Marek's Missing Teeth
- Marek Kuperman, a family friend, often visited the author's grandparents.
- He would display the gaps in his teeth where molars had been knocked out in prison.
Zosia's Path to Dentistry
- Zosia, the author's grandmother, became a dentist out of necessity in post-war Warsaw.
- Her medical school plans were disrupted by the war and changing political landscape.
Dental Drill and Torture
- The author played with Zosia's old foot-powered dental drill as a child.
- He reflects on the duality of teeth in pleasure and pain, drawing parallels between dentists and torturers.