Product Description

Karolina Lanckoronska was an aristocrat and art historian who taught at the University of Lwow, then part of Poland. When the Soviets came to occupy Lwow, Lanckoronska became active in the Polish resistance and moved to Krakow. She was arrested by the Germans in Kolomyya in 1942, imprisoned and later sentenced to death; incarcerated first in Stanislau, then in Lwow and Berlin before being placed in the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp for women. As a countess, Lanckoronska was subjected to varying treatment, suffering near starvation at times only to receive extra food and medical care at others according to the fluctuating and often conflicting orders from the authorities in Berlin. With the intervention of some influential friends and the honourable actions of one Nazi, she was saved from death on several occasions. Thanks to efforts by the Swiss diplomat, scholar and International Red Cross President Carl J Burckhardt (whose correspondence with Heinrich Himmler was found among Lanckoronska's personal belongings) she was finally released in April, 1945. Throughout her imprisonment, Lanckoronska remained defiantly resilient, loyal to Poland and committed to her fellow prisoners, including women used by Nazi doctors as guinea pigs for horrific medical experiments. Her magnetic personality and superb story-telling makes this a powerful narrative and sustains our interest through harrowing reading. Her ability to view her own horrific situation with objectivity gives us insight into the motives and behaviour of the Soviets and the Germans not simply as oppressors, but as human beings. Hers is an extraordinary story of courage and will.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #200542 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Ross Leckie, Times, 17 December 2005
‘a humbling and heart-rending story of courage and tenacity, told self-effacingly and simply... this is a lesson to us all’.

The Lady - Janina Pogorzelski
`One of the greatest Second World War memoirs...Her magnetic personality and superb story-telling make this a powerful narrative'

From the Publisher
First English-language publication of one of the greatest Second World War memoirs - with a new preface by Norman Davies.

Customer Reviews

One brave woman's life in WWII occupied Poland
This is a remarkable account, possibly unique, as far as an English readership is concerned, of what it was like to live in occupied Poland and in the Ravensbruck concentration camp during WWII.

Karolina Lanskoronska was bi-lingual and this fluency in German made her invaluable to the Polish resistance and relief organisations.

It is written by a woman of great strength of character and high intelligence. The translation from the original Polish is excellent. This book must be numbered amongst the greatest historical memoirs of the second world war.

An important story of survival
A remarkable book by a remarkable woman. It was tempting but not practical to read this compelling story at one sitting! Translated with great sensibility, it presents, factually and truthfully, an amazing personal account of human survival, against the odds, during World War 11. Read it!

It's Both a Great Read & a History Lesson
This well written book is a cliff-hanger, a tear jerker and the most frightening lesson in the behaviour of supposedly civilized races.
It should be mandatory reading for all schools and universities in the free world. The bestial atrocities detailed in its pages need to be shown in the light of day so that public conscience ensures that they never be repeated.
The author's incredible faith and determination shine through, as does the spirit of the Polish people.
This might be the most comprehensive and detailed report ever written by a survivor.