The Pianist
by Władysław Szpilman
A Polish-Jewish pianist survives the Warsaw ghetto and the city's destruction, saved in the end by a German officer. Written in 1945, plain and devastating.
Read it if…
you want survival told without ornament.
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Skip it if…
you have seen the film and want nothing more; the book is starker.
Try instead: Schindler's List →
Three things you will actually use
- Music sustained.
- Decency appeared where least expected.
- Record immediately.
Do this first
Read the chapters on the ruins.
Our verdict
Szpilman's Warsaw.
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