A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising (New York Review Books Classics)

On August 1, 1944, Miron Białoszewski, later to gain renown as one of Poland’s most innovative poets, went out to run an errand for his mother and ran into history. With Soviet forces on the outskirts of Warsaw, the Polish capital revolted against five years of Nazi occupation, an uprising that began in a spirit of heroic optimism. Sixty-three days later it came to a tragic end. The Nazis suppressed the insurgents ruthlessly, reducing Warsaw to rubble while slaughtering some 200,000 people, mostly through mass executions. The Red Army simply looked on. Białoszewski’s blow-by-blow account of the uprising brings it alive in all its desperate urgency. Here we are in the shoes of a young man slipping back and forth under German fire, dodging sniper bullets, collapsing with exhaustion, rescuing the wounded, burying the dead. An indispensable and unforgettable act of witness, A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising is also a major work of literature. Białoszewski writes in short, stabbing, splintered, breathless sentences attuned to “the glaring identity of ‘now.’” His pages are full of a white-knuckled poetry that resists the very destruction it records. Madeline G. Levine has extensively revised her 1977 translation, and passages that were unpublishable in Communist Poland have been restored. A blow-by-blow, ground-level account of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, the 2-month Polish Resistance effort to liberate Warsaw from Nazi occupation. Poland's most famous post-war poet offers “the finest book about the insurrection of 1944”—an essential read for fans of WW2 history (John Carpenter). On August 1, 1944, Miron Białoszewski, later to gain renown as one of Poland's most innovative poets, went out to run an errand for his mother and ran into history. With Soviet forces on the outskirts of Warsaw, the Polish capital revolted against 5 years of Nazi occupation, an uprising that began in a spirit of heroic optimism. 63 days later it came to a tragic end. The Nazis suppressed the insurgents ruthlessly, reducing Warsaw to rubble while slaughtering some 200,000 people, mostly through mass executions. The Red Army simply looked on. First written over 25 years after the uprising, Białoszewski's account gives readers an unforgettable sense of the chaos and immediacy of the final days of World War II. He tells of slipping back and forth under German fire, dodging sniper bullets, collapsing with exhaustion, rescuing the wounded, and burying the dead. This unusual memoir is a major work of literature and a reflection on memory that resists the terrible destruction it records. Madeline G. Levine has extensively revised her 1977 translation, and passages that were unpublishable in Communist Poland have been restored. On August 1, 1944, Miron Białoszewski, later to gain renown as one of Poland's most innovative poets, went out to run an errand for his mother and ran into history. With Soviet forces on the outskirts of Warsaw, the Polish capital revolted against five years of Nazi occupation, an uprising that began in a spirit of heroic optimism. Sixty-three days later it came to a tragic end. The Nazis suppressed the insurgents ruthlessly, reducing Warsaw to rubble while slaughtering some 200,000 people, mostly through mass executions. The Red Army simply looked on. Białoszewski's blow-by-blow account of the uprising brings it alive in all its desperate urgency. Here we are in the shoes of a young man slipping back and forth across German lines, dodging sniper bullets, collapsing with exhaustion, rescuing the wounded, burying the dead. An indispensable and unforgettable act of witness, A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising is also a major work of literature. Białoszewski writes in short, stabbing, splintered, breathless sentences attuned to "the glaring identity of 'now.'" His pages are full of a white-knuckled poetry that resists the very destruction it records. Madeline G. Levine has extensively revised her 1970 translation, and passages that were unpublishable in Communist Poland have been restored The great Polish poet Miron Białoszewski was twenty-two on August 1, 1944, when he went on an errand for his mother and ran into history. With Soviet forces on the outskirts of Warsaw, the city revolted against five years of Nazi occupation, an uprising that began in a spirit of heroic optimism but ended tragically sixty-three days later. The Nazis fought back ruthlessly, reducing Warsaw to rubble while slaughtering some 200,000 people, mostly through mass execution. The Red Army simply looked on. Białoszewski's blow-by-blow account of the Uprising brings it alive in all its desperate urgency. Here we are in the shoes of a young man slipping back and forth across German lines, dodging sniper bullets, collapsing with exhaustion, rescuing the wounded, burying the dead. An indispensable and unforgettable act of witness, A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising is also a major work of literature. Białoszewski writes in short, stabbing, splintered, breathless sentences attuned to "the glaring identity of 'now'." His book displays a wild whiteknuckled poetry that resists the terrible destruction it records On August 1, 1944, Miron Białoszewski Went Out To Run An Errand For His Mother And Ran Into History. With Soviet Forces On The Outskirts Of Warsaw, The Polish Capital Revolted Against Five Years Of Nazi Occupation. Białoszewski’s Blow-by-blow Account Of The Uprising Brings It Alive In All Its Desperate Urgency. Here We Are In The Shoes Of A Young Man Slipping Back And Forth Under German Fire, Dodging Sniper Bullets, Collapsing With Exhaustion, Rescuing The Wounded, Burying The Dead. An Indispensable And Unforgettable Act Of Witness, A Memoir Of The Warsaw Uprising Is Also A Major Work Of Literature. Madeline G. Levine Has Extensively Revised Her 1977 Translation, And Passages That Were Unpublishable In Communist Poland Have Been Restored. Translator's Introduction -- A Memoir Of The Warsaw Uprising -- Notes -- Maps By Miron Białoszewski ; Edited And Translated By Madeline G. Levine. Includes Bibliographical References.