Summary of The Beautiful Mrs. SeidenmanÂ
Irma Seidenman is a young Jewish widow in Warsaw in 1943. She escapes the ghetto and poses as the wife of a Polish army officer but is betrayed by a Jewish acquaintance and captured by the Gestapo. “The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman” tells the story of her arrest and follows the lives of those involved in her rescue after the war. The Polish title of the book, meaning “The Beginning” is arguably more fitting, as the story of Mrs. Seidenman is just one thread in this intricate, multi-faceted novel.
Reasons to read The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman
“The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman” offers a vivid portrayal of life in Warsaw during World War II, capturing the brutal persecution of Jews by the Nazis and the anti-Semitism among the Polish population. The novel also delves into philosophical questions about the complexities of good and evil. Andrzej Szczypiorski was a Polish writer, politician, and diplomat. He was awarded the Austrian State Prize for European Literature in 1988 and the Herder Prize in 1994. “The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman” is his most renowned book. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie named it her “favourite book no one else has heard of”. Andrzej Szczypiorski, a participant in the Warsaw Uprising, survived the Sachenhausen concentration camp. After his death, it was revealed that he worked with the communist secret police in the 1950s.
Setting: Warsaw (Poland)
Original title: PoczÄ…tek
Year of publication: 1986
Nr of pages: 288
