I Was A Willow - Memoirs of a Froliching He-Goat is a poignant and darkly humorous novel that explores identity, memory, and survival-all filtered through the dry wit and biting sarcasm of Adam Czulartian. A long-term resident of the Home of Divine Providence-a secluded retreat on the outskirts of a capital city-Adam spends his days carving masks in his private workshop and documenting his sharply observed reflections on the past.

Through Adam's wry and unfiltered lens, the novel unfolds as a multigenerational tale of wartime displacement, family conflicts, and the lingering shadows of historical trauma. At the heart of the story is his niece, Nusia, a girl whose childhood is shaped by the upheaval of a war-torn world. As Nusia and her family flee their home in Wielow under the threat of bombings, the narrative traces the moral complexities of survival and the shifting nature of identity-how people conceal, perform, or reinvent themselves in order to endure.

Rich with evocative prose, I Was A Willow balances emotional depth with unexpected humor, offering a meditation on resilience and the absurdities of human behavior. Adam's reflections reveal not only the fractured truths of the past, but also the messy brilliance of people who lie, laugh, and love their way through the wreckage.