A cosmopolitan Pole, Andrzej Bobkowski (1913-61) found himself caught in occupied France in 1940, and so he recorded his reflections on culture, politics, history, and everyday life. Published after the war, his notebooks provide an outsider's perspective on the hardships and ironies of the Occupation. Celebrating the value of freedom and human life, Bobkowski offers meditations on ordinary existence, savoring the taste of simple food, the beauty of the French countryside, and youthful pleasure in physical movement—miles clocked on country roads and Parisian streets on his trusty bike.