Wladyslaw Szpilman Books

I could not put down this book, and read it in two sittings. Wladyslaw Szpilman, the famed pianist and composer, describes his harrowing account of life under Nazi terror. As a Polish Jew, the Nazis considered him entirely subhuman, and it is a miracle he survived the persistent and random acts of violence that surrounded him. He was nearly sent to a death camp along with his five family members, and somehow was pulled off the Birkenau-bound train to a grim prospect of survival. The images in this book are harrowing, such as the depiction of the shattered skulls of little girls, victims of the Nazis' "preferred" method of killing children by picking them up by their legs and swinging them into a brick wall. Imagine the horror....Szpilman's account is so matter-of-fact at times that you wonder how he survived. The fact that he did is a testament of human endurance, but also the ways of fate. There were occasions when he survived simply by the luck of the draw in a Godless universe.

Why do I consider a first person account detailing the horrors of the Holocaust to be uplifting? The events described by the author are harrowing and nearly unbelieveable to the degree that I was astonished that the man, in the end, survives. Perhaps that is why I am so uplifted by this story. He survived. He defied evil by daring to live. He also dared to pick up the pieces of his shattered life and continue to live. He does this without any fanfare or obvious heroism. I think that is what makes this particular telling of the Holocaust so remarkable. The author writes it in such an unremarkable fashion that it forces you to sit up and take notice. By simply stating that the caramel was his 'family's last meal together' makes you pause to reflect on such an event. Beautifully written. Highly reccommended.

As a side note, Roman Polanski's adaptation of this book is truely brilliant. Adrien Brody's portrayal of Szpilman is awe inspiring and heart wrenching to watch. Both men do the book and Szpilman's memory justice.

I don't have too much to add to the other reviewers; having seen the movie I had a pretty good idea what to expect.

Probably the most interesting thing about the book version is the diary of a German officer who helped save Spilman. The officer's diary (from 1942-44) shows that he was aware of the Nazi extermination camps by mid-1942; he explained that most Jews were "so weak from starvation and misery that they couldn't offer any resistance." By December 1943, he knew that Germany would lose the war, but suggests that Germans would not revolt because "no one would risk his life by standing up to the Gestapo."

I bought this for my mom. The book even though used-was in such good condition - looked new. Will have no problem purchasing used again.

This will be a book you will never want to put down. The film was excellent, directed by Polanski it included chilling moments from his own personal experience in the Warsaw ghetto but equally there were things left out.

Most prominent were concerning the German officer who pretty much saved Szpilmans life. If you watch the documentary of the Pianist at the end of the DVD Polanski talks about how he spoke with the son of that officer who expressed his concern that his father would be shown in the film in a positive light, Polanski seems to dismiss this with a wave of the hand and says "I said of course!" Then we have the actor who played the role who seemed so adamant that the officer was a 'symbol of hope' Now watching the film itself you are a little confused as though he gives Szpilman food and befriends him he is hardly a 'symbol of hope' even the coat he gives Szpilman at the end of the film is because he 'has a warmer one' The book however is very different.

In the book Szpilman tells us how this officer has helped many Jews before Szpilmen, was almost shot by SS for defending a young child, would give shoes to children in Poland and concerning his help for Szpilman, well it was actually the officer who told him to take the ladder up with him to prevent anyone coming in later and suspecting someone was hiding in the attic, they had both agreed to not know each others names in case they were caught and tortured (Which is why at the end Szpilman found it so difficult to find the officer who had been captured by the Russians and why in the film the officer refers to Szpilman as simply 'Jew' now if you did not know this previously you would regard this as a very offensive use of the word)

Equally interesting is the use of Ukrainian guards who seem to be particularly brutal in their treatment something that is little know to us. The role of non-Germans who supported Hitler in the second world war.

A highly recommended book especially if you intend to watch the film. Read this first.

I became a fan of Wladyslaw Szpilman after viewing (and viewing and viewing) the movie of his ordeal, "The Pianist".

I feel very honoured to be able to own his work, and play his work. If you love music with a classical and 1940's vibe I would highly suggest the purchase of this music.

J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre qui démontre comment un artiste de
grand talent a su, malgré la guerre, malgré la perte de sa famille et de ses amis a réussi a passé au travers de tous ces malheurs en se rappellant les compositions qu'il interpretait
et qu'il souhaitait interpreter de nouveau apres la guerre.

Le destin tragique de cet homme qui a su s'accrocher a la vie
dans des conditions difficiles a un explemple de tenacité et de courage.

Comme ce roman est une histoire vrai il est encore plus appréciable tout en souhaitant que des évenements de ce genre ne se reproduisent jamais.