An achingly sad fictional presentation of the story of Dr. Janusz Korczak, a pediatrician who ran an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto. He had many opportunities to leave the ghetto: the Ghetto's Jewish police many times tried to take him out, and there are hints in the novel that even the Gestapo wanted him saved, although the reasons are not clear. He repeatedly insisted that he would only be rescued if the 200 children in his care were also. This wasn't possible, and so he was gassed at Treblinka with them.
The story is told from the point of view of Aron, a growth-stunted boy who after a brief smuggling career in the Ghetto winds up orphaned and in the care of Pan Doctor. The events here are almost entirely bleak but still illuminated by the spirit of the Doctor. The dialogues and relationships here are sketched beautifully.
No comments:
Post a Comment