Author, Peter Kupfer
The Glassmaker’s Son
Book Release Party
& Reading
with Peter Kupfer
Join us for a book release celebration, reading & signing with local author Peter Kupfer. Books will be available for purchase in-store at the event.
Click here to buy the book on the AFIKOMEN WEBSITE
Click here to purchase from BOOKSHOP AFIKOMEN
Sunday February 5
3:00pm - 4:00pm at Afikomen
A blend of lyrical memoir and sober history, “The Glassmaker’s Son” recounts Peter Kupfer’s decades-long quest to uncover the world his father left behind in Nazi Germany. Along the way he makes a series of surprising discoveries about his family, who were major players in the Bavarian glassmaking industry before they were nearly annihilated in the Holocaust. The book weaves together the diabolical history of German antisemitism with Kupfer’s poignant memories of growing up in Connecticut, his yearning to get closer to his distant father, and his struggles with his sexuality. At heart, “Glassmaker” is about a search for identity — the identity of the author’s soft-spoken, inscrutable father and of himself.
Peter Kupfer is a San Francisco-based freelance writer, editor and photographer. His stories about business, the arts, travel and other subjects have appeared in major newspapers and magazines, including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Observer and Metropolis magazine. I was a copyeditor at the San Francisco Chronicle for many years. "Glassmaker" is his first book.
"The Glassmaker's Son is a stunning exploration of legacy. Kupfer brings so much heart to his journey, so much intelligence and curiosity -- he makes it come alive." — Menachem Kaiser, author of Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, winner of the 2022 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature
"A moving account of a son in search of his father and the home from which his family was expelled. Peter Kupfer’s compelling story leads deep into the abyss of a small Bavarian town during Nazi Germany and into the labyrinth of the human soul. Anyone who is interested in exploring their family roots and in reconciliation with a difficult past should read this book.” — Michael Brenner, Director of the Center for Israel Studies at American University and International President of the Leo Baeck Institute for the Study of German-Jewish History
“Peter Kupfer has written a heartfelt intergenerational exploration of loss, dislocation, identity and discovery. It’s a powerful reminder that even though the Holocaust and WWII are two generations behind us, deep and meaningful stories like the vivid ones he shares with elegance and eloquence are still waiting to be told. He speaks to the fierce urgency of now — and to history.” — Lev Raphael, author of Writing a Jewish Life, My Germany, Dancing on Tisha B'av and two dozen other books
Enjoy complimentary hot drinks and nosh following the reading. We’ll be inside where it’s warm and comfortable. Masks optional.
Please join us.