First published 2012
This collection gathers interviews, lectures, and media appearances by novelist Jerzy Kosinski, compiled by his widow Kiki. Most appear in print for the first time. Kosinski discusses writing under totalitarian rule, the boundary between fiction and autobiography, and the role of violence in his novels. He addresses the plagiarism accusations that damaged his reputation after The Painted Bird earned praise from Elie Wiesel as among the finest Holocaust literature. The pieces are organized around literary, political, and cultural themes. Kosinski explores freedom of expression, his controversial views on Jewish identity, and sexuality in his work and personal life. These transcripts make an unpredictable literary figure more approachable, offering readers direct access to the mind behind the public scandals.
Genres: biography, essays, 20th-century, autobiography, biography-memoir, criticism, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: autobiography, unreliable-narrator
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
432 pages · Hardcover · Grove Press