The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945
by Wladyslaw Szpilman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Wladyslaw SzpilmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-09-02
ISBN: 0312263767
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Picador
Book Reviews of The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945
Book Review: "surely this is madness. It can't be possible."
Summary: 4 Stars
Having seen the marvelous movie of the same name (which did justice to the book in following it almost to the letter), reading the book was one long déjà vu. Wladyslaw Szpilman, a pianist by profession, lived in Warsaw with his parents and three siblings when the war broke out. They chose to stay (primarily due to his father's fondness for the place) instead of trying for a possibly safer location. Due to a bit of "luck," they were able to stay put longer than others because their flat was located within the boundaries of the changing limits of the ghetto. Over time, anti-Jewish decrees (curfew, limits on the quantity of money they could have, prohibition against owning land) became more restrictive with Jewish men being forced to bow submissively to German soldiers and wear armbands, and the geographical limits of the established ghetto kept changing. Persons are sent away (those that stay don't know the fate of the leavers). Germans belittle, demean, torture and kill Jews during regular raids. Many, holding on to hope, try to make the best of it. The number of "selections," which result in persons being sent away, increases. The Szpilman family is able to stay together and safe for a time, but eventually four of the six are set to leave. (a couple of spoilers follow, so be warned) Two, fit for work, are to be spared, but choose to stay with the other four, and suffer the same fate together. With the entire family set for transport, an acquaintance of Wladyslaw intervenes to save him. It's the last he sees of his family. In the latter part of the book, he describes his time spent trying to survive, working, hiding (in perilous safety), and repeatedly escaping death by a hair's breadth. As conditions worsen, he spends hours hiding in silence often suffering from starvation. The Jews stage uprisings and many refuse to be taken alive. Mothers go to drastic lengths to avoid capture and death for them and their children at the hands of the German soldiers. Evenutally, Szpilman obtains help from an unlikely savior and lives to tell his harrowing tale. The Pianist is an amazing recounting of one man's will to survive in the bleakest of circumstances. Also good: Life in Auschwitz by Primo Levy, Time's Arrow by Martin Amis, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and the movie, The Pianist.
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