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Dear Mr. Moser,

Thank you for contacting the Helena Modjeska Foundation through our website. Yes, I remember the book and the controversy very well, and I would very much like to share information with you, either by phone, or, if you have time, we could meet at Arden – The Helena Modjeska House and Gardens to discuss the subject. In early 2000, I read an article in the LA Times that Susan Sontag’s novel, “In America,” which was inspired by the life of Helena Modrzejewska, was to be released in March of that year. Since I was going to be in New York City that February, I contacted her publisher, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, and arranged to meet with Mr. Jeff Seroy on February 18, 2000. Mr. Seroy gave me an advance copy of the book, which I began reading in my NYC hotel room, and continued to read on my return flight to California. Upon my return, I immediately arranged to give the book to our historian, Ellen K. Lee, who was quoted in all of the articles regarding the controversy. I delivered the book to Mrs. Lee on 2/21/00, and she called me the morning of 2/21/00, stating that she had finished the book, and then she told me to get a pencil and paper to make some notes. I still have those notes. Mrs. Lee, who had researched Helena Modjeska for forty years passed away in 2007.

I still have a file with copies of the book reviews, as well as articles surrounding the controversy about the book. These articles, as you probably already know, were published in the LA Times, Orange County Register, OC Metro, Mirabella, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and Slate. In fact, I just found my email exchanges with Jeff Seroy. Ms. Sontag participated in the LA Times Festival of Books in 2000 (I don’t recall the month), and she did a reading of excerpts from her book at the Los Angeles Central Library, with Michael Silverblatt of the LA Times, which I attended with another Helena Modjeska Foundation board member. We had an opportunity to meet with Ms. Sontag after her presentation, and we offered to give her a special, private tour of the house and gardens. We also presented her with a poster of Helena Modjeska, as well as brochures for the foundation and historical site, which is a National Historical Landmark and a State of California Historical Landmark. Ms. Sontag signed our copies of “In America,” which we brought to the presentation.

Please contact me at your earliest convenience so that we can arrange a time to chat, or meet.

Kind regards,

Linda Plochocki
President
Helena Modjeska Foundation
(949) 230-6421 (cell)
(949) 459-0797 (home)