Early in my writing career, back in the 60s and 70s, I used to review books regularly for such magazines as The New Leader and The Progressive. After a lukewarm review of a Kosinski book, I received a short letter from him, nasty and satiric in tone, the one and only time I ever heard from an author after a negative review (I rec'd several after a positive review, thanking me). I wasn't aware of the later controversy regarding his work and life.
Being and Not Being There
On this day in 1933 Jerzy Kosinski was born as Jerzy Lewinkopf, in Lodz, Poland. Kosinski's father changed the family name at the beginning of WWII in an effort to escape persecution as a Jew. As described later in Kosinski's international best-seller, The Painted Bird (1965), this plan went horribly wrong. When six-year-old Jerzy became separated from his parents he was given up for dead; he spent the next three years roaming the Polish countryside, witnessing and suffering such atrocities that he was struck dumb, recovering his speech only years later when, now reclaimed by his parents from an orphanage and enrolled in a school for the handicapped, he was jolted back to speech by a skiing accident.
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1 comment:
I was searching for those with similar interests a la books, music, and what not and I came across your post on Jerzy Kosinski. I've just reviewed one of his books on my blog. I'm really new to this blogging deal so still trying to get a hold on sharing information. Stop by if you like and leave a comment. Thanks!
http://reganbrantley.blogspot.com/
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