Publisher's Synopsis
'I confidently predict that nothing Wiesel has written hitherto will be as widely read, or vividly remembered, as this.' Chaim Bermant
'Elie Wiesel is one of that small group of survivors of the Shoah, or Holocaust, who understands and accepts that an important part of his life is to be a witness and to use his scholarship and his great gift for story-telling in testifying to the unprecedented tragedy of his people He has another gift: meeting people and gaining their confidence and trust. There are anecdotes on virtually every page - and many of them could easily become short stories or novels This book takes us memorably to a world that was filled with Jewish learning and laughter and love.' Hugo Gryn, Sunday Times
'There are few more poignant pieces of writing in what has come to be known as Holocaust literature than Wiesel's description of his father's death, a mere two pages which encapsulate an eternity of suffering… There are parts of this book that read like a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Other parts are almost mystical; yet others are intensely personal. Through one man's journey, a wide swath of recent Jewish history comes movingly to life, and even with all the horrors, it is an uplifting tale.' Martin Gilbert, The Times
'Elie Wiesel is outstanding among intellectuals in search of explanations for the evil that pervaded Hitler's death camps. He owes the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 to the singular influence his writing has had on Holocaust thinking and its application to the defence of universal human rights. Characteristically vivid, these memoirs contrast a happy childhood with the unfathomable tragedy of the Holocaust. The book shows that he has never been able to cast off the tentacles of darkness that shackled him during the war. In his phrase - "Memory is a passion no less powerful or pervasive than love."' Hella Pick, Guardian