The Pianist: The extraodrdinary story of one man's survival in Warsaw, 1939-45 by Wladyslaw Szpilman

The Pianist is about a Jewish man named Wladyslaw Szpilman. Wladyslaw Szpilman was a pianist and had worked in the Polish Radio. This book describes how he survived in Warsaw from the beginning of the occupation of Poland to the very end of World War II. He recounts his story with astoundingly specific details from his last meal with his family to his thought process when he was in hiding.

I thought that this book was very interesting but very sad. When I read this book I could easily picture what he was going through at the time and was able to have some insight of the heartbreaking story of all the Jewish people across Europe. I would recommend this book to people that are interested in World War II and that are curious about the conditions of the Jewish people during this time.

Wladyslaw Szpilman

Wladyslak Szpilman was born in Sosnowiec, Congress Poland, Russian Empire. He had two sisters and one brother. He attended the distinguished Academy of Arts in Berlin. He later worked as a pianist and composer for the Polish Radio. He was a survivor of the Holocaust and was able to escape the grasps of the Nazis many times. He published a memoir that recounts his survival story of the Holocaust. He had also co-written a nonfiction book with well-known author Jerzy Waldorff called The Death of a City. He married Halina (Grzeznarowski) Szpilman and had one son with her. Wladyslak Szpilman later died in Warsaw, Poland on 6 July 2000 at the age of 88. After his death the Polish Radio Studio 1 was renamed to Wladyslaw Szpilman in his commemoration.