(Current fiction and quality fiction of the past.)
There are just two copies of this unusual novel in the Albuquerque public library system although it is available at better bookstores and from the usual Internet distributors.
The publisher reminds readers that “The Painted Bird” (Grove) by Jerzy Kosinski was originally published in 1965 and “established Kosinski as a major literary figure. Kosinski's story follows a dark-haired, olive-skinned boy, abandoned by his parents during World War II, as he wanders alone from one village to another, sometimes hounded and tortured, only rarely sheltered and cared for. Through the juxtaposition of adolescence and the most brutal of adult experiences, Kosinski sums up a Bosch-like world of harrowing excess where senseless violence and untempered hatred are the norm. Through sparse prose and vivid imagery, Kosinski's novel is a story of mythic proportion, even more relevant to today's society than it was upon its original publication.”
Of course, there was always some doubt about whether Kosinski actually wrote the novel, and whether it was autobiographical or not. The dispute continued to the end of his life in 1991. Examiner notes that “The Painted Bird” is well worth reading whether it was written by Kosinski or Felix the Cat. Kosiński's novels have been translated into more than 30 languages, with total sales estimated at 70 million through 1991, according to published reports.
A reader reviewer for Amazon who goes by the review name of Monika “equestrienne_23" (she rides horses), wrote this: "’The Painted Bird’ is tragically disillusioning, yet weaves a brilliant picture of the boy's psychological transformation. It will leave you feeling empty, but raises crucial issues to the reader's attention. Kosinski has deliberately used a very young, innocent child as the protagonist in order to emphasize the destructive, corrupting nature of war. At a time when war is a distant thing, taking place on other continents, it is easy to glorify it and to forget what a hell it is for those experiencing it first-hand. For this reason, books like "The Painted Bird" are especially necessary, forcing us to look at the physical and emotional havoc war can wreak on a person. Though I would highly recommend the book to anyone, it is not for the weak of stomach. Be prepared for a dark and disturbing journey.” -- Copyright©Amazon
Books by the author, listed in Wikipedia:
The Future Is Ours, Comrade: Conversations with the Russians (1960), published under the pseudonym "Joseph Novak"
No Third Path (1962), published under the pseudonym "Joseph Novak"
The Painted Bird (1965)
The Art of the Self: Essays à propos Steps (1968)
Steps (1969)
Being There (1971)
The Devil Tree (1973, revised & expanded 1982)
Cockpit (1975)
Blind Date (1977)
Passion Play (1979)
Pinball (1982)
The Hermit of 69th Street (1988)
Passing By: Selected Essays, 1962–1991 (1992)
__________________________________________________________________________
EXAMINER’S BEST: How to write your 1st novel
EXAMINER’S NOVELS: Splat! A Light in Polanco
__________________________________________________________________________
Comments