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Jerzy Kosiński

    June 14, 1933 – May 3, 1991

    Jerzy Kosiński's writing delves into themes of identity, memory, and the nature of human survival, often drawing from his own experiences in wartime Poland. His style is noted for its raw honesty and penetrating psychological depth. Kosiński explored the boundaries of morality and resilience as his characters grapple with extreme circumstances. His work frequently challenges perceived reality, leaving readers contemplating the complexities of the human condition.

    Jerzy Kosiński
    Blind Date
    Cockpit
    The Hermit of 69th Street
    Steps
    The Painted Bird
    Being There
    • Der bemalte Vogel

      Roman

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      Dieser düstere Roman hat Millionen Leser auf der ganzen Welt erschüttert. Irgendwo im Osten Europas, während der Zweite Weltkrieg tobt: Um ihn vor den Nazis zu schützen, wird ein kleiner jüdischer Junge zu einer alten Frau aufs Land gegeben. Kurz darauf stirbt sie und der Junge bleibt allein zurück. Als er durch die zerfetzte Welt irrt, erlebt er die Gräuel des Krieges – aber auch die Perversion und Brutalität der Soldaten und der abergläubischen Landbevölkerung. Der Junge verstummt und hat sich, als der Krieg endet, für immer verändert. Der Weltbestseller in neuer Übersetzung von Andreas Decker. Kosinski schildert das Triebhafte und Abgründige im Menschen, aber auch die tiefe Vereinsamung unseres Daseins in einer klaren Prosa. Ein Meisterwerk.

      Der bemalte Vogel2024
      4.3
    • El Ermitaño de la calle 69

      • 95 pages
      • 4 hours of reading

      El ermitaño de la calle 69 es un escritor muy semejante al propio Kosinski, que recuerda su vida con humor y sin olvidar las muchas dificultades que ha superado. Además de sus vivencias, abundan las citas literarias y las referencias a la cultura judía. Un libro extrañamente conmovedor.

      El Ermitaño de la calle 691993
      2.6
    • Steps

      • 148 pages
      • 6 hours of reading

      A portrayal of men and women both aroused and desensitized by an environment that disdains the individual and seeks control over the imagination.

      Steps1988
      3.8
    • Jerzy Kosinski's best-selling novel Pinball, which he wrote for George Harrison, is a rock 'n' roll mystery centered on a superstar named Goddard who has, despite his success, managed to keep his identity a secret, even from his closest friends. But a beautiful young woman, obsessed with finding Goddard, stalks him relentlessly, driven by a secret goal that justifies all means. Ricocheting with humor and bursting with erotic intensity, Pinball is a game as intricate, unpredictable, suspenseful, and complex as life.

      Pinball1983
      3.2
    • Blind Date is a spectacular & erotically charged psychological novel that shows Jerzy Kosinski, author of Being There & The Painted Bird, at the height of his power. George Levanter is an idea man, a small investor, an international playboy & a ruthless deal-maker whose life is delivered in a series of scorching encounters, each more incredible than the last. From Moscow to Paris, from a Manhattan skyscraper to a California mass murder, Blind Date is a dizzying vision of life among the beautiful people & the thrill-seekers.

      Blind Date1978
      3.7
    • Kosinski's novel, filled with tension, moral questions, physical and psychological violence, fear, sex, ugliness, cruelty, but also humor and beautiful lyrical passages, depicts the fate of former American secret service agent Tarden. One day, circumstances force him to abandon his previous life, hide, and constantly change his identity. This brings great loneliness, which clashes with his desire for close contact with others. Through immense ingenuity, the protagonist discovers a way to enter the lives of his unsuspecting victims, manipulating them at will and using them to satisfy his own needs. The greater the danger he faces, the bolder his escapades become, and the more insatiable his sexual desires grow. Tarden is unable to live without physical tension.

      Cockpit1975
      3.7
    • Being There

      • 122 pages
      • 5 hours of reading

      Jerzy Kosinski’s clever parable of a naive man thrust into the modern world is more pointed now than ever. Chance, the enigmatic gardener, becomes Chauncey Gardiner after getting hit by a limo belonging to a Wall Street tycoon. The whirlwind that follows brings Chance to his new status of political policy advisor and possible vice presidential candidate. His garden-variety political responses, inspired by television, become heralded as visionary, and he is soon a media icon due to his unknown background and vague, yet appealing, conversational nature. Being There was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film, starring Peter Sellers as Chance, in 1979.

      Being There1970
      3.9
    • Passion Play

      • 305 pages
      • 11 hours of reading

      In a masterpiece of love and loss by one of the world's greatest writers, Fabian travels in his VanHome from one end of the country to the other, searching, judging, and testing--himself most of all.

      Passion Play1965
      3.1
    • A young boy, abandoned by his parents during World War II, wanders alone from one village to another in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe.

      The Painted Bird1965
      3.9