The history of the Shoah still exists within the living memory of thousands of survivors. But in many cases
the stories are deeply submerged, unbearable to tell. Julie Orringer’s novel The Invisible Bridge
originated in one of those stories. In an informal and intimate talk, the author will discuss how the
history of her grandparents’ survival came to light, how details emerged during the author’s research in
Hungary and France, and how the story changed as the novel moved closer to its final form.
Julie Orringer is the author of The Invisible Bridge, a novel (Knopf, 2010), and How to Breathe
Underwater, a short story collection (Knopf, 2003). Her stories have been widely published and awarded.
She is the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, and her work has appeared in numerous anthologies.
Orringer is a 1996 graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she held a two-year Creative Writing
Teaching Fellowship. She also received a 2004-5 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for The
Invisible Bridge. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the writer Ryan Harty, and is at work on a novel
about Varian Fry, the American journalist who saved thousands from the Nazis.