The Pianist - Softcover
Synopsis
'You can learn more about human nature from this brief account of the survival of one man throughout the war years in the devastated city of Warsaw than from several volumes of the average encyclopaedia' Independent on Sunday 'We are drawn in to share his surprise and then disbelief at the horrifying progress of events, all conveyed with an understated intimacy and dailiness that render them painfully close'riveting' Observer 'The images drawn are unusually sharp and clear'but its moral tone is even more striking: Szpilman refuses to make a hero or a demon out of anyone' Literary Review
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Review
Written immediately after the end of World War II, this morally complex Holocaust memoir is notable for its exact depiction of the grim details of life in Warsaw under the Nazi occupation. "Things you hardly noticed before took on enormous significance: a comfortable, solid armchair, the soothing look of a white-tiled stove," writes Wladyslaw Szpilman, a pianist for Polish radio when the Germans invaded. His mother's insistence on laying the table with clean linen for their midday meal, even as conditions for Jews worsened daily, makes palpable the Holocaust's abstract horror. Arbitrarily removed from the transport that took his family to certain death, Szpilman does not deny the "animal fear" that led him to seize this chance for escape, nor does he cheapen his emotions by belaboring them. Yet his cool prose contains plenty of biting rage, mostly buried in scathing asides (a Jewish doctor spared consignment to "the most wonderful of all gas chambers," for example). Szpilman found compassion in unlikely people, including a German officer who brought food and warm clothing to his hiding place during the war's last days. Extracts from the officer's wartime diary (added to this new edition), with their expressions of outrage at his fellow soldiers' behavior, remind us to be wary of general condemnation of any group. --Wendy Smith
From the Publisher
"[Szpilman's] account is hair-raising beyond anything Hollywood could invent...an altogether unforgettable book." -- THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
"[Szpilman's] shock and ensuing numbness become ours, so that acts of ordinary kindness or humanity take on an aura of miracle. --THE OBSERVER
"Rarely has the sheer claustrophobia of living in the Warsaw Ghetto been so vividly conveyed as it is by Szpilman." --THE INDEPENDENT
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The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45
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The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45
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Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Seller Inventory # 7719-9780753814055
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The Pianist
Published by
Orion Publishing Co, United Kingdom, London, 2002
ISBN 10: 0753814056
ISBN 13: 9780753814055
Used
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Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The powerful and bestselling memoir that inspired the Oscar and BAFTA-winning film. 'A book so fresh and vivid, so heartbreaking, and so simply and beautifully written, that it manages to tell us the story of horrendous events as if for the first time' Daily Telegraph First published in 1946, The Pianist is the unforgettable memoir of a young Polish-Jewish pianist who survived the Second World War against all odds. This is a book that 'takes us as close as we are ever likely to travel to the day-to-day reality of living through terror' (Sunday Times), an indelible reminder of the horrors of war and the astonishing endurance of the human spirit. 'You can learn more about human nature from this brief account of the survival of one man throughout the war years in the devastated city of Warsaw than from several volumes of the average encyclopaedia' Independent on Sunday 'We are drawn in to share his surprise and then disbelief at the horrifying progress of events, all conveyed with an understated intimacy and dailiness that render them painfully close - riveting' Observer 'A book so fresh and vivid, so heartbreaking, and so simply and beautifully written, that it manages to tell us the story of horrendous events as if for the first time' Daily Telegraph. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR000627077
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The Pianist
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR000508501
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The Pianist
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
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Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Seller Inventory # wbs1187796068
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The Pianist
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
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Condition: Very Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # wbs2665068051
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The Pianist (Film Tie-in edition): The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45
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The Pianist The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45
Seller: Darkwood Online T/A BooksinBulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Reprint; Seventeenth Printing. Some reading and cover creases, tiny closed tear to front endpaper. ; Nice tight copy, no names inside. Illustarted with four pages of photographs. Foreword by Andrzej Szpilman. Epilogue by Wolf Biermann. Translated by Anthea Bell ; B&W Photographs; 224 pages; The story of a young Jewish pianist who survived the German occupation of Warsaw against all odds. Seller Inventory # 21971
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The Pianist
Seller: Rarewaves.com UK, London, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Condition: New. The powerful and bestselling memoir that inspired the Oscar and BAFTA-winning film.'A book so fresh and vivid, so heartbreaking, and so simply and beautifully written, that it manages to tell us the story of horrendous events as if for the first time' Daily TelegraphFirst published in 1946, The Pianist is the unforgettable memoir of a young Polish-Jewish pianist who survived the Second World War against all odds. This is a book that 'takes us as close as we are ever likely to travel to the day-to-day reality of living through terror' (Sunday Times), an indelible reminder of the horrors of war and the astonishing endurance of the human spirit. 'You can learn more about human nature from this brief account of the survival of one man throughout the war years in the devastated city of Warsaw than from several volumes of the average encyclopaedia' Independent on Sunday'We are drawn in to share his surprise and then disbelief at the horrifying progress of events, all conveyed with an understated intimacy and dailiness that render them painfully close - riveting' Observer'A book so fresh and vivid, so heartbreaking, and so simply and beautifully written, that it manages to tell us the story of horrendous events as if for the first time' Daily Telegraph. Seller Inventory # LU-9780753814055
Quantity: Over 20 available
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The Pianist
Seller: Rarewaves.com USA, London, LONDO, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: New. The powerful and bestselling memoir that inspired the Oscar and BAFTA-winning film.'A book so fresh and vivid, so heartbreaking, and so simply and beautifully written, that it manages to tell us the story of horrendous events as if for the first time' Daily TelegraphFirst published in 1946, The Pianist is the unforgettable memoir of a young Polish-Jewish pianist who survived the Second World War against all odds. This is a book that 'takes us as close as we are ever likely to travel to the day-to-day reality of living through terror' (Sunday Times), an indelible reminder of the horrors of war and the astonishing endurance of the human spirit. 'You can learn more about human nature from this brief account of the survival of one man throughout the war years in the devastated city of Warsaw than from several volumes of the average encyclopaedia' Independent on Sunday'We are drawn in to share his surprise and then disbelief at the horrifying progress of events, all conveyed with an understated intimacy and dailiness that render them painfully close - riveting' Observer'A book so fresh and vivid, so heartbreaking, and so simply and beautifully written, that it manages to tell us the story of horrendous events as if for the first time' Daily Telegraph. Seller Inventory # LU-9780753814055
Quantity: Over 20 available