The Painted Bird

By Jerzy N. Kosinski

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Average Rating: (See all reviews) Format: Paperback, 234 pages, 2nd Edition Published In: United States, August 1995 Quantity Available: 85 Ships within 6-10 days A harrowing story that follows the wanderings of a boy abandoned by his parents during World War II, this classic novel, originally published in 1965, is a dark masterpiece that examines the proximity of terror and savagery to innocence and love. It is the first, and the most famous, novel by one of the most important and original writers of this century. Publisher: Grove Press ISBN: 080213422X EAN: 9780802134226 Dimensions: 21.03 x 14.12 x 1.68 centimeters (0.29 kg)

I threw this book away rather than read it or inflict it upon anyone else. It is twisted, misogynistic and sado-masochist. Excused during the 60's and 70's because he was allegedly writing autobiographically,. kosinsky was actually a fraud. I found this book vile and insufferable. i am not usually narrow minded as a reader, and have certainly read vast numbers of holocaust based works of fact and fiction...The Painted Bird is something else. Kosinski's pleasure in the sickness he writes is all too evident. To balance my statements, I must say that I didn't give myself a chance to get past more than a few chapeters- so if his style changed at some point from hallucinogenic horro to something more cogent and less sickening, I owe him an alology (yes, I know he is dead). Kosinsky has been roundly discredited in recent years, with many accusations of plagarism directed at his work (including this book). That really doesn't mean much when it comes to enjoyment of a book, but in this case, I don't understand why he had credit in the first place... I firmly believe any credit he was given was based on the (false) understanding that he was a survivor and that Painted Bird was autobiographical. All I could say when reading this was 'EWWWW, quick let me scrub my brain'!