Short stories
Złote okna
Not translated into English
Adolf Rudnicki · 1964
Synopsis
Stories dominated by the title piece, a long narrative: Józef Klon struggles to enter the Warsaw ghetto and to leave it, then finds himself caught in the uprising and the massacres that crush him. The narrative shows the cowardice of some and the courage of others, traitors who behave like heroes, love and hope amid savagery, and mingles with this martyrdom a reflection on what writing can say, and cannot say, about the extermination.
Context
The title story first appeared in a reissue of the large collection Żywe i martwe morze, which brought together the cycle Epoka pieców devoted to the nation of Polish Jews, and then gave its title to the volume Złote okna i 9 innych opowiadań, published in 1964. Gallimard published the French translation in 1966, under the title Les Fenêtres d'or et autres récits; the title story has also been reprinted in French with L'Ascension and Daniel agonisant.
Who it is for
A long narrative followed by shorter stories, with a more compressed narration and more difficult to approach.
Prizes and reception
Ranked among the major collections of a writer regarded as one of the great Polish chroniclers of the Shoah.
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