The Auschwitz Volunteer

The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery is a nonfiction 2012 book consisting of a report (also described as a diary) by Polish resistance fighter Witold Pilecki, an introduction written by historian Norman Davies and a foreword by Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich. The diary has been translated by Jarek Garliński and was published in English by Aquila Polonica. It covers a period of about four years during which Pilecki was on a mission to infiltrate the Auschwitz concentration camp.[1] Pilecki wrote his report in Polish in the summer of 1945 for his Polish Army superiors; this book was the first time his report was published in English. His mission had two principal goals: smuggle out intelligence about the camp, and build a resistance organization among the prisoners.

Not to be confused with the 2019 book The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz.
The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery
First English edition
AuthorWitold Pilecki
with an introduction written by Norman Davies and a foreword by Michael Schudrich
TranslatorJarek Garliński
CountryUnited States
PublisherAquila Polonica
Publication date
2012
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages406
ISBN9781607720096
OCLC759173200

Development

The diary is based on the document held in the custody of the Polish Underground Movement Study Trust in London.[2] The translator, Jarek Garliński, is the son of historian Józef Garliński who wrote one of the first English-language accounts of Pilecki's life in his 1975 book Fighting Auschwitz.[3][4]

Reception

Poland's Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich, writes in the foreword: "When God created the human being, God had in mind that we should all be like Captain Witold Pilecki, of blessed memory" and about the book itself that it is "essential reading for anyone interested in the Holocaust."[5] Historian Norman Davies writes in the introduction to the same translation: "If there was an Allied hero who deserved to be remembered and celebrated, this was a person with few peers."[6]

In a review for The New York Times, Timothy Snyder writes that the book is "a historical document of the greatest importance [that] we are now so fortunate to have";[7] the book was also listed as one of the NYT Editor's Choices in June 2012.[8] David de Sola in his review for The Atlantic notes that the book is "a fascinating first-hand account of virtually all aspects of life inside the camp".[2] Vladislav Davidzon in the Tablet Magazine praised the book for providing a steely intelligence viewpoint rather than a memoiristic one, while still retaining sympathy and compassion for the Roma and Jews.[3] Michał Kasprzak writing for the Cosmopolitan Review described the book as a "superbly translated ... rich narrative of courage and survival".[9] John Besemeres praised the translator of the diary, and notes that the "content is fascinating at a number of levels".[10][11] Reviewing the book for The Sarmatian Review, James E. Reid noted that the diary, "published without any noticeable editing", covers a period of about four years, "from the day [Pilecki] volunteered for Auschwitz in 1940 until shortly after his escape from the camp in 1943".[1] The book was also reviewed by Bartosz Kaczorowski for Historia y Política. Kaczorowski praises the clarity of Pilecki's observations of the camp and the sadistic German torture within, as well as Pilecki's stoic humor even when reporting on terrible events.[12] Daniel Ford wrote for the Michigan War Studies Review that it is a "remarkable memoir" complemented by "excellent maps and photographs".[13]

In 2016 The Wall Street Journal listed the book as one of 'Five Best' books on wartime secret missions.[14][15]

The book was adapted into a multimedia stage drama in entitled The Auschwitz Volunteer: Captain Witold Pilecki and performed in Broadway in New York City in 2018.[16]

See also

References
  1. Reid, James E. (2013). "The Auschwitz Volunteer". The Sarmatian Review. XXXIII (1): 1736–1737. ISSN 1059-5872.
  2. Sola, David de (2012-10-05). "The Man Who Volunteered for Auschwitz". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  3. "Polish Partisan Witold Pilecki Infiltrated Auschwitz. How Come You've Never Heard of Him?". Tablet Magazine. 2013-03-12. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  4. Fleming, Michael (2019-05-04). "The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz". Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs. 13 (2): 289–294. doi:10.1080/23739770.2019.1673981. ISSN 2373-9770. S2CID 210468082.
  5. Schudrich, Michael (2014). Foreword to The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery. Aquila Polonica.
  6. Davies, Norman (2014). Introduction to The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery. Aquila Polonica.
  7. Snyder, Timothy (2012-06-22). "'Were We All People?' (Published 2012)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2015-10-14. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  8. "Editors' Choice (Published 2012)". The New York Times. 2012-06-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  9. Kasprzak, Michał (March 1, 2013). ""The Driest of Facts:" Witold Pilecki's Mission in Auschwitz". Cosmopolitan Review. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  10. BESEMERES, JOHN (2016). "The worst of both worlds". The worst of both worlds:: Captain Witold Pilecki between Hitler and Stalin. pp. 63–78. ISBN 978-1-76046-060-0. JSTOR j.ctt1rqc96p.10. Retrieved 2021-03-07. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  11. Besemeres, John (2013-10-03). "The man who volunteered for Auschwitz". Inside Story. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  12. Kaczorowski, Bartosz (2016). "WITOLD PILECKI: The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery". Historia y Política (in European Spanish). 35: 399–404.
  13. Ford, Daniel (4 September 2012). "The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery By Witold Pilecki. Review by Daniel Ford, Durham, NH". Michigan War Studies Review. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  14. "Wall St. Journal names Witold Pilecki's "The Auschwitz Volunteer" one of 'Five Best' books on wartime secret missions | H-Poland | H-Net". networks.h-net.org. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  15. "Neal Bascomb on wartime secret missions". Wall Street Journal. 2016-08-22. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  16. "The Auschwitz Volunteer's Story Told in New York City". Culture.pl. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
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