The King of Warsaw: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-04-17 14:52:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Szczepan Twardoch
- ISBN：1542044448
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Summary
A city ignited by hate。 A man in thrall to power。 The ferociously original award-winning bestseller by Poland’s literary phenomenon—his first to be translated into English。
It’s 1937。 Poland is about to catch fire。
In the boxing ring， Jakub Szapiro commands respect， revered as a hero by the Jewish community。 Outside， he instills fear as he muscles through Warsaw as enforcer for a powerful crime lord。 Murder and intimidation have their rewards。 He revels in luxury， spends lavishly， and indulges in all the pleasures that barbarity offers。 For a man battling to be king of the underworld， life is good。 Especially when it’s a frightening time to be alive。
Hitler is rising。 Fascism is escalating。 As a specter of violence hangs over Poland like a black cloud， its marginalized and vilified Jewish population hopes for a promise of sanctuary in Palestine。 Jakub isn’t blind to the changing tide。 What’s unimaginable to him is abandoning the city he feels destined to rule。 With the raging instincts that guide him in the ring and on the streets， Jakub feels untouchable。 He must maintain the order he knows—even as a new world order threatens to consume him。
It’s 1937。 Poland is about to catch fire。
In the boxing ring， Jakub Szapiro commands respect， revered as a hero by the Jewish community。 Outside， he instills fear as he muscles through Warsaw as enforcer for a powerful crime lord。 Murder and intimidation have their rewards。 He revels in luxury， spends lavishly， and indulges in all the pleasures that barbarity offers。 For a man battling to be king of the underworld， life is good。 Especially when it’s a frightening time to be alive。
Hitler is rising。 Fascism is escalating。 As a specter of violence hangs over Poland like a black cloud， its marginalized and vilified Jewish population hopes for a promise of sanctuary in Palestine。 Jakub isn’t blind to the changing tide。 What’s unimaginable to him is abandoning the city he feels destined to rule。 With the raging instincts that guide him in the ring and on the streets， Jakub feels untouchable。 He must maintain the order he knows—even as a new world order threatens to consume him。
Reviews
Diane
，
Technically brilliant， disturbing in content， mesmerizing。
Zuzia Kowalska
，
3，5
marta
，
Warszawa， 1937 rok。 Żydowski bokser， przemoc， kobiety， alkohol， narkotyki。 Konflikty narodowe， polityczne， religijne， społeczne。 Warszawa， podzielona na tych ‘lepszych’ i gorszych’， w której gangsterzy jak Szapiro są prawdziwymi królami miasta。Ile wzbraniałam się przed twórczością Twardocha？ Stanowczo ZA DŁUGO。 A bo podobno tak poważnie pisze。 Za głupia jestem。 Boks？ Nie moje klimaty。 Matko， w jakim ja byłam błędzie！ ‘Król’ to książka o której najlepiej jest wiedzieć jak najmniej。 Autor owiał ca Warszawa， 1937 rok。 Żydowski bokser， przemoc， kobiety， alkohol， narkotyki。 Konflikty narodowe， polityczne， religijne， społeczne。 Warszawa， podzielona na tych ‘lepszych’ i gorszych’， w której gangsterzy jak Szapiro są prawdziwymi królami miasta。Ile wzbraniałam się przed twórczością Twardocha？ Stanowczo ZA DŁUGO。 A bo podobno tak poważnie pisze。 Za głupia jestem。 Boks？ Nie moje klimaty。 Matko， w jakim ja byłam błędzie！ ‘Król’ to książka o której najlepiej jest wiedzieć jak najmniej。 Autor owiał całą historię tajemnicą， dzięki czemu kawałek po kawałku odkrywałam do czego w ogóle zmierza。 Gwałtowniejsze zwroty akcji nastały dopiero pod koniec powieści， jednak absolutnie mi to nie przeszkadzało。 Styl autora wyrządził u mnie ochotę， by zaznaczyć każde zdanie， dialog， akapit – coś niesamowitego。 Oprócz tego， klimat stworzony przez Twardocha sprawił， że momentami czułam się jakbym przeniosła się w czasie。 Chyba właśnie to urzekło mnie najbardziej。 Czytając ‘Króla’ siedziałam w czerwonym chryslerze， przysłuchując się gangsterskim rozmowom głównych bohaterów。 Piłam z nimi wódkę u Ryfki， przerażona rzeczami， które byli w stanie zrobić innym ludziom。 Nawet gdy akcja toczyła się powoli， czytałam z zainteresowaniem， ciekawa kolejnego słowa， ruchu， narwanego i bezlitosnego Jakuba。 Czy to normalne， że pomimo brutalności jaką emanowała ta książka， złem， jakim ociekali główni bohaterowie， nie chciałam jej kończyć？ Że się z nimi zżyłam？ Nie wiem。 Ale tak było。 ‘Król’ nie jest tylko powieścią， która ukazuje surowe， zdegenerowane i bezduszne realia Warszawy lat 30。 Autor zdołał przemycić tam tak wiele rozterek i emocji z jakimi zmagali się bohaterowie， że nie sposób było się z nimi nie zżyć。 Ostatnie strony wprawiały mnie na zmianę w osłupienie i smutek。 Po skończeniu książki nie potrafiłam zebrać myśli – właściwie to wciąż przychodzi mi to z trudem。 W ‘Królu’ w zafascynowało mnie wszystko – wyraziści bohaterowie， krwawe konflikty， niesamowicie oddany klimat z żydowskiego punktu widzenia。 Z pewnością nie zapomnę o niej przez długi czas。 。。。more
Annaoj
，
Dobra。。。 Wciaga。 Choc nie jest to kryminal， trzyma w napieciu， budzi strach i niepokoj。
Minstrelka
，
DNF @50%
Mike Colligan
，
Not my favorite book but。。。 not badly written。 Some plot details and twists seem a bit awkward。 Lots of violence that， at times， begins to seem gratuitous and/or redundant。 It seems that the author strains to present the book as more serious than it actually is。 Might have been better with a straight plot line， less pretense， and less repetition。
Karlson
，
Een masculien vertoon van stijlfiguren， in een blubber van historie。
Agnès Denie
，
Erg gewelddadig， veel cocaine， alcohol， en al dan niet besneden penissen， maar ook emotioneel en meeslepend。
Marta Tycner
，
The only book by Twardoch - in my view， the best Polish living author - available in English。 'The King of Warsaw' （'Król'） is in my view Twardoch's second or third-best book and you'll find everything there that makes his novels unique and memorable: action and politics， oddity and grotesque， phenomenal social observation， precisely built， realistic world， brilliant yet tragic twists。 Like in all of Twardoch's books， in 'The King of Warsaw' individuals struggle against fate - and fail， as histo The only book by Twardoch - in my view， the best Polish living author - available in English。 'The King of Warsaw' （'Król'） is in my view Twardoch's second or third-best book and you'll find everything there that makes his novels unique and memorable: action and politics， oddity and grotesque， phenomenal social observation， precisely built， realistic world， brilliant yet tragic twists。 Like in all of Twardoch's books， in 'The King of Warsaw' individuals struggle against fate - and fail， as history， narrated as a living character on its own， smashes them slowly， surely and without mercy。The book is a story of a Jewish boxer and mafioso and is set in 1937 when Warsaw was the second biggest Jewish city in the world， already doomed and slowly getting aware of it。 Politics is racing， tensions grow， socialists， fascists， communists clash on the streets， crime is booming， brothels are full and poverty makes people desperate。 I read the book in Polish so I can't vouch for the translation but Twardoch is an excellent stylist。 His books impress me so much party because of the way he uses the language， with convoluted but powerful sentences and ruminations， mimicking what the narrative is supposed to be: a long train of thoughts and memories of a troubled mind。 'The King of Warsaw' is brilliantly researched， with most of the main characters modelled on real-life pre-war gangsters， sportsmen， politicians and madames。 Every scene brings remarkable little details from pre-war Warsaw with a noticeable predilection for guns， cars and boxing but stretching far beyond it。 My friends sometimes complain that Twardoch is unable to write convincing female characters。 It may be true， and like most of his books， this one is also about men， their motivations， their choices and their tragedies。 I don't mind。 Complex， vivid male characters with well-developed backstories are not that easy to find either。 Twardoch specializes in showing what war makes to men and in an artful way this pre-war book also gives insight into the mind of a man broken by the war。 Twardoch's political profile is not an obvious one: as a young author he was cherished by the conservatives and there is still something in his writings left from this period: obsession with history， very strong patriotic context， the focus on the men's world。 Twardoch's views evolved strongly over time and even though I never read him saying this， he now seems rather close to old-school socialism。 You can also sense it in his books， with inequalities， exploitation and class struggle at the forefront of the narrative。 But it is not so much politics but psychology， historiosophy and superb storytelling which make his books so good。 I wish I could recommend Twardoch's other books， 'Morfina' or 'Drach' to my English speaking friends but I can assure you that this read will be worth it。 。。。more
Magdalena
，
3。6
Fabrizio
，
Polonia 1937。 Jakub Shapiro， pugile， è il braccio destro di Kum， capomafia della comunità ebraica di Varsavia。 La città è divisa in due tra Cristiano-polacchi e comunità ebraica。 Le due fazioni si scontrano in un crescente clima di odio， violenza e antisemitismo; in una sfida che non lascerà superstiti。 il mostro della guerra e dello sterminio nazista si avvicina， sarà l’occasione per regolare definitivamente i conti annientando tutto e tutti。 Gli odi， le atrocità， le violenze del novecento sull Polonia 1937。 Jakub Shapiro， pugile， è il braccio destro di Kum， capomafia della comunità ebraica di Varsavia。 La città è divisa in due tra Cristiano-polacchi e comunità ebraica。 Le due fazioni si scontrano in un crescente clima di odio， violenza e antisemitismo; in una sfida che non lascerà superstiti。 il mostro della guerra e dello sterminio nazista si avvicina， sarà l’occasione per regolare definitivamente i conti annientando tutto e tutti。 Gli odi， le atrocità， le violenze del novecento sullo sfondo della città simbolo Varsavia。 Da leggere per non dimenticare。 。。。more
Lada Moskalets
，
Взимку у варшавському метро стіни були завішані рекламою цієї книжки і десь тоді， а автор настільки популярний， що регулярно висловлюється з приводу різних приводів у Виборчій。 Якщо коротко - „Король” це про єврейських бандитів у останні роки передвоєнної Варшави。 Щось на кшталт „Once upon a time in America”， але щедро приправлене політичним контекстом ІІ Речі Посполитої。 Бандити збирають данину， мордують боржників， а потім відпочивають у борделях。 Періодично також ходять побити морди ендекам， п Взимку у варшавському метро стіни були завішані рекламою цієї книжки і десь тоді， а автор настільки популярний， що регулярно висловлюється з приводу різних приводів у Виборчій。 Якщо коротко - „Король” це про єврейських бандитів у останні роки передвоєнної Варшави。 Щось на кшталт „Once upon a time in America”， але щедро приправлене політичним контекстом ІІ Речі Посполитої。 Бандити збирають данину， мордують боржників， а потім відпочивають у борделях。 Періодично також ходять побити морди ендекам， покарати антисемітських редакторів чи боротися з лавковим гетто。 Ця книжка не дуже мій жанр - тут кожні пару сторінок когось тортурують， а концтабір Березу Картузьку показали у всіх її похмурих барвах， за обідом не варто читати。 Жіночі персонажі - або матері， або повії і тест Бехдель там близько не проходив。 Намагаючись показати нестереотипних євреїв， автор повторив дуже багато класичних літературних прийомів， тому читати про всіх цих повій з золотим серцем і скорумпованих діячів ІІ РП， загрузлих у секс-скандалах буває нуднувато， я втягнулася аж під кінець。 Але мені сподобалися три речі。 Перша - ретельно виписаний єврейський світ。 Мовною консультанткою стала відома їдишистка Ева Ґеллер， тому все що говориться їдишем так і написане， і тому вдається показати складну мовну картину єврейської Варшави。 Якщо в нашій літературі єврей - це щось універсальне， то тут показані всі різноманіття політичних і культурних афіліацій。 Є бідні євреї з Волі， ортодокси， сіоністи， соціалісти， бандити， інтелігенція。 Часом з цього виходить шуфлядкування， але як на популярну літературу все ж дуже незле。Друга - герої цієї книжки огидні всі потрохи， а значить і ІІ Річ Посполита， клімат якої показано ой як зле。 Вертаючись до порівняння - я ще не бачила такої самокритичної книжки у нас。 Боюся що автора б заклеймили як зрадника національних почуттів і можливо у Польщі так теж зробили。 Третя - автор грається з мотивом вибіркової пам’яті， розповідати не буду， бо це лютий спойлер， але заради цього одного варто читати。 。。。more
Mateusz Janiszewski
，
Lekka i przyjemna
Mateusz Taraszka
，
mocno sie zawiodłem
Blake Zedar
，
I could not put this book down。 It is gritty， it is dark， it is mind-bending， and it is absolutely phenomenal。 It follows the story of a Jewish boxer/"gangster" in 1937 Warsaw。 I read a decent amount of novels from Eastern Europe and this one might be one of the most "accessible" for people im the U。S。 i would highly recomend it for anyone interested in historical novels in the inter-war years。 I could not put this book down。 It is gritty， it is dark， it is mind-bending， and it is absolutely phenomenal。 It follows the story of a Jewish boxer/"gangster" in 1937 Warsaw。 I read a decent amount of novels from Eastern Europe and this one might be one of the most "accessible" for people im the U。S。 i would highly recomend it for anyone interested in historical novels in the inter-war years。 。。。more
Wojciech
，
Warszawa roku 1937。 Byłem pod wrażeniem realistyczności opisu miasta， ulic， ówczesnego życia stolicy。 Czytając tę powieść niemal czułem ten smak "serdelków" z których wysysali tłuszcz bohaterowie。 Doskonale nakreślone postacie， opowieść。 Nieźle nakreślona intryga wokół nieznanego incydentu planów polskiej "nocy kryształowej"。 Dobra， mądra książka。 Warszawa roku 1937。 Byłem pod wrażeniem realistyczności opisu miasta， ulic， ówczesnego życia stolicy。 Czytając tę powieść niemal czułem ten smak "serdelków" z których wysysali tłuszcz bohaterowie。 Doskonale nakreślone postacie， opowieść。 Nieźle nakreślona intryga wokół nieznanego incydentu planów polskiej "nocy kryształowej"。 Dobra， mądra książka。 。。。more
Michal Mironov
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The book is great， but I'm disappointed with it。 I consider Twardoch to be the greatest talent of contemporary Polish literature。 He writes like there was no tomorrow， I totally dig the story， and then on fifty key pages he spoils everything。 As if coming up with a good ending wasn’t that fun。 Not sure what to do with your characters at the end of the book？ Kill’em all on the last few pages！ （screw spoilers）。 What I liked about King: Great writing style。 The plot is set in gangster interwar Wars The book is great， but I'm disappointed with it。 I consider Twardoch to be the greatest talent of contemporary Polish literature。 He writes like there was no tomorrow， I totally dig the story， and then on fifty key pages he spoils everything。 As if coming up with a good ending wasn’t that fun。 Not sure what to do with your characters at the end of the book？ Kill’em all on the last few pages！ （screw spoilers）。 What I liked about King: Great writing style。 The plot is set in gangster interwar Warsaw， based on well-sourced facts。 Did you know that Warsaw in the 1930s was just like a European Chicago？ What I did not like: 1。 The ending。 2。 The main hero。 At first， he looked like a charming Jewish gangster。 Gradually， he became the most stereotypical macho figure ever: smart， handsome， all women fall at his feet， an invincible boxer and gunslinger， hard drinker but an athlete of Olympic proportions， a model husband and womanizer。 All the innocent people he kills serve merely as a decor to his manhood。 Of course， the author still portrays him as a cool guy you’d love to have drinks with。 And then suddenly our macho hero gets concerned about the death of a young boy。 Just to show that the gangster also has conscience。 I have a feeling that the author is using this unrealistic character to resolve some male insecurities。 Such a shame。 King reads perfectly， I wouldn't be so pissed off if I didn't see there that wasted potential。 I admire Twardoch， he can do better。 Three stars only because I demand more of him than of other authors。 。。。more
aleksandra
，
Raczej nie jest to książka， dla której jestem dobrym odbiorcą。 Mimo to， chętnie przeczytam inne dzieła Twardocha。
Jeri
，
This novel works on so many levels。 I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time。 While superficially a take on a Holocaust novel--it's set in pre-war Warsaw--it's really a book about violence: family violence， political violence， sexual violence， violence as business， violence as entertainment， violence in all its many forms。 Nobody， reader included， leaves this novel unbattered。 The narrative is compelling， the writing assured， with some passages downright lyrical。 I found myself hi This novel works on so many levels。 I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time。 While superficially a take on a Holocaust novel--it's set in pre-war Warsaw--it's really a book about violence: family violence， political violence， sexual violence， violence as business， violence as entertainment， violence in all its many forms。 Nobody， reader included， leaves this novel unbattered。 The narrative is compelling， the writing assured， with some passages downright lyrical。 I found myself highlighting meaningful lines and passages--which I almost never do in a "pleasure" read，--to come back to and linger over。 。。。more
Joe Kraus
，
This opens as a disturbing exploration of abjection and self-loathing。 Then， gradually but in harrowing fashion， it becomes an even more troubling reflection on guilt and self-recrimination。 Finally， it points toward an even larger gesture （though perhaps a futile one） toward a Polish reconciliation for the evils of the Holocaust。In other words， this is likely the most powerful novel I have read since Kevin Barry’s Night Boat to Tangiers。From here， [SPOILER， SPOILER， AND MORE SPOILERS] since it’ This opens as a disturbing exploration of abjection and self-loathing。 Then， gradually but in harrowing fashion， it becomes an even more troubling reflection on guilt and self-recrimination。 Finally， it points toward an even larger gesture （though perhaps a futile one） toward a Polish reconciliation for the evils of the Holocaust。In other words， this is likely the most powerful novel I have read since Kevin Barry’s Night Boat to Tangiers。From here， [SPOILER， SPOILER， AND MORE SPOILERS] since it’s impossible to reflect on the beginning without revealing the powerful twists of the end。 Please， if you decide you want to read the novel， stop reading my thoughts and go read it。 After that， I’d love to hear your reaction， but I don’t want the guilt of ruining the end for you。 There’s more than enough guilt to go around in this novel as it is。The novel opens with an instance of abjection so troubling， so potentially tainted with anti-Semitism （a charge I drop without reservation by the end of this） that I considered stopping right away。 The first scene shows us Mojzesz Bernsztayn， our narrator， as he watches the towering Jakub Szapiro box a swaggering young Pole into submission。 That would ordinarily constitute a bit of Jewish pride， the sight of a master-race wannabe （though Polish， not German） getting his comeuppance， but there’s a crucial difference here: Jakub has just killed Mojzesz’s father， slaughtering him like a chicken being prepared for shabbas because the old man has fallen behind on the street taxes he owes to Buddy Kaplica， Jewish gangster boss and one of the titular Kings of Warsaw。 And Mojzesz， drawn to a power that could so easily snuff out the life he’d known， is on the brink of becoming Jakub’s acolyte， protégé， shadow。I read those opening hundred pages or so with borderline contempt， but Twardoch’s exploration of abjection kept me going。 Let me digress a moment toward a definition of abjection。 In the literal， Latin-derived sense， the word means to throw away from。 In the psychological sense， at least as I understand it， it describes embracing that which you most loathe。 It’s tied to re-jection in this regard – it means a rejection of self， a projection of self onto something you fear and condemn。Years ago， I got an essay from a student who talked about how she’d been devastated when her boyfriend left her for a stripper。 She opened the essay， though， with a description of how she felt as she danced on a pole herself， displaying herself at some amateur night at a local strip club as a perverse way to get back at her ex-boyfriend。 She couldn’t quite explain why she’d done it， but in her searching， I understood the nature of abjection all at once。 There’s something groveling about it， something so full of self-loathing that it becomes pornographic – not in the sexual sense – but in the sense of revealing something intimate mixed with systemic oppression and the scent of violence。Reading about Mojzsez’s attraction to Jakub – he calls it a kind of love at first sight – made me so angry that I spent time Googling to see whether Twardoch was Jewish or Polish。 Learning that he was Polish put me on my guard。 This seemed a way of accusing the vanished Jews of Warsaw of a weakness that – crossed with Jakub’s claim that he would go on to become one of Israel’s generals in the wars against the Arab nations – infected and undermined contemporary Jewry。That initial exploration of abjection continues throughout the novel。 The sister of the boxer whom Jakub defeats in the opening scene， a gorgeous， wealthy， and politically connected woman who draws attention wherever she goes， decides she can’t get enough of Jakub and his “Jewish cock。” Her father， a wealthy politician， turns out to have a regular appointment with the city’s leading dominatrix。 And one woman after another claims to love the assorted satellite gangsters who rape and beat them。There would probably be no forgiving that ugly and bleak reflection of humankind if not for the gradual revelation that our narrator is entirely unreliable – unreliable to a degree I would not have thought possible if not for having just read it。 Even now， as I untangle the art behind Twardoch’s narrative， I can’t quite believe he has pulled off such a transformation。It starts slowly。 We learn that Mojszez is writing his story from a small apartment in Tel Aviv。 His wife， Magda， has left him， and he is busy typing away in a Polish language that few people around him would know well enough to read – if， indeed， anyone bothered to try。 Oddly， when he calls her “Madga，” she sniffs and tells him not to。 “I’m not Magda，” she insists， and he’s not sure what to make of it。We begin as well to get glimpses of an imaginary， lighter-than-air sperm whale that observes the fortunes of human beings and is invisible to all but Moszjez and Jakub。 （I understand that some readers refer to this as a gesture toward magical realism。 I’d argue otherwise。 It’s too tied into the perspective of the narrator（s） to come across as “real。” Instead， like the impulse toward abjection， it’s a terrifying expression of the inner turmoil of a man who cannot live with what he has made of himself。 It’s the psyche yearning to free itself from itself， an act that， by definition， means a splintering of the self – a kind of insanity。）It’s all unsettling， and the effect is a loosening of the warp and woof of the text that we are receiving。And then， in a move both sudden and yet anticipated-in-retrospect， we learn a stark truth。 Moszjez is dead， long dead。 Jakub killed him a few weeks after killing his father， after he made a feeble attempt at revenge， managing only to stab Jakub in the butt before Jakub killed him with an automatic and ferocious punch。In other words， the abjection works in the opposite direction from what it seems at first。 The powerful Jakub has imagined himself the helpless Moszjez。 He has imagined a space within which he rescued the boy， in which the boy had the chance to grow up and become one of those harsh Israeli generals。The untangling goes even further， though， and we learn the ever more harrowing elements that Jakub has repressed。 There is no Moshe Ingbar， no general who emerged from the wreck of that Polish world。 Instead， while Jakub had a moment when he might have escaped with his wife and children – a moment when he is on a plane that would take him to Palestine in 1937 – Jakub turned back。 As the result of a series of moves and counter-moves among the gangsters and politicians – moves that are compelling as they happen， which is good， and inconsequential in retrospect， which is even better – Jakub has the chance to succeed Buddy as the King of Warsaw。He reigns for 23 months， he tells us， and then…If you have to ask what befell Poland’s Jews in 1939-1941， this book is not for you。 Knowledge of that， the deep foreboding of a story as unthinkable as Adorno’s claim that there could be no art after Auschwitz， limns this。 For all the glimpses of life we get in the everyday of the novel， we have to know that everyone – that the people themselves in the sense of a community， a folk – will die or transform so fully as no longer to be recognizable。Jakub， it turns out， bought his 23 month reign at the price of his wife and children’s lives。 Blinded by the myth of his own power， he stayed when his heart told him to leave。 When Warsaw’s Jews were forced into the ghetto， he became – in that most abject fashion – a tool of the Nazis， serving as a camp guard， preserving his life while he maintained order for his captors。In the end， we learn that he is an old and expiring man in Tel Aviv， that “Magda” is not the Magda of the mostly imagined Moszjez nor even the Emilia whom Jakub took as his common-law wife。 Instead， she is Ryfka， his youthful lover who， by the time of the events of the heart of the novel， has become an aging madame draining the youth out of the unfortunates who work for her。What’s more， it’s Ryfka who saved them both， Ryfka who managed to smuggle Jakub out of Warsaw when， just before it burned， he might yet have saved his sons – sons who are massacred just as Moszjez and his father were。So， yeah， this is brutal stuff。 However much it might appear originally as an indictment of Jews in some large fashion， it becomes instead the abject confession of a man who has half-knowingly destroyed everything he might have cherished in his life。 The title is a simple declarative truth。 He was the King of Warsaw， king for a 23 month period of which we hear almost nothing。 The title is ironic as well， of course， because our protagonist is never whom he says he is – or， put differently， our protagonist works so hard to deny who he is that， in effect， his confession is more damning than it could ever have been if we heard it in straightforward fashion。But， that’s still not all of what’s happening here。 Twardoch is， as I say， a Pole reflecting on this so uncomfortable history。 To the extent that this is a meditation on abjection， it becomes a Polish Christian （I presume he’s Christian） putting himself in the shoes of a Jew crushed by the Poland of his grandparents。In other words， as a narrative act， this is itself a performance of abjection， a putting on of a self that his culture most fully rejected。 There are elements of abjection in American blackface， but I don’t think that’s what’s happening here。 There is “theft” certainly， in the Eric Lott sense of “love and theft，” but there’s finally little love。 Or， what there is， is so twisted into pity， fear， and bewilderment， that the dynamic is simply not the same。Instead， I’m willing to take Twardoch at what I think would be his best。 In the name of a nation that allowed the Nazis to kill 2。5 million of its Jews – a nation that killed many of those Jews itself – he explores the dynamic of remembering。 From a time of such trauma， the memory can never be straightforward， though， and the power of the novel comes from the ever-twisting way in which memory nearly slips away only to confront unapologetic， unforgiving reality。The result is as disturbing and powerful a work as I have come across in some time。 I imagine I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time。 。。。more
Weronika
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Exciting narrative， interesting story
Kate
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Gdzieś w środku książki mamy plot twist， którego czytelnik jakoś podświadomie się spodziewa， a który jednak łamie serce。 Nie wiem， co czuć po skończeniu tego dzieła: szok， przygnębienie， wzruszenie， czy pewnego rodzaju satysfakcję？ Są tu bohaterowie， którzy wywołują najróżniejsze emocje， ale na pewno nie obojętność。
Marta Kraszewska （Rudym spojrzeniem）
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Tło społeczne przedstawione w Królu zrobiło na mnie chyba największe wrażenie。 Czułam jakbym sama tam była。 Pomysł na fabułę i sposób pisania - jestem zachwycona。
Maryna Sakowska
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i have devoured it， nice page-turner
Mateusz
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This is not a book for everyone。 The violence is graphic and sometimes gratuitous， there are no likeable characters， and the portrayal of interwar Warsaw as a hotbed of gangland crime certainly at least slightly sensationalised。 However， I found Twardoch's vision of the Polish society in the 1930s， in the wake of being orphaned by its 'benevolent' dictator Pilsudski， absolutely captivating。 Poland is bitterly divided， often decadent， almost always racist， with visions of greatness and its intern This is not a book for everyone。 The violence is graphic and sometimes gratuitous， there are no likeable characters， and the portrayal of interwar Warsaw as a hotbed of gangland crime certainly at least slightly sensationalised。 However， I found Twardoch's vision of the Polish society in the 1930s， in the wake of being orphaned by its 'benevolent' dictator Pilsudski， absolutely captivating。 Poland is bitterly divided， often decadent， almost always racist， with visions of greatness and its internal squabbles a pathetic joke in view of the cataclysm that is about to swipe the slate clean。 In that sense， for me the author captured the spirit （if not the letter） of the epoch better than any historical book on that period I have read （and I have read many！）。 It's also beautifully translated， which is not always a given with literature fro mthe region。 。。。more
Filip Antosik
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3，5
Dorota Ziajka
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Jako， że jestem absolutną fanką dorobku literackiego Twardocha， moja recenzja będzie krótka i bardzo nieobiektywna :） Fikcja historyczna w postaci losów żydowskiego boksera i jego ferajny na tle przestępczego światka przedwojennej Warszawy zostawiająca czytelnika z ogromnym uczuciem niedosytu。Pozycja przyjemna dla oka pod każdym możliwym względem， od błahości pięknego wydania， po istotę - niezwykle wciągającą historię namalowaną słowami w niepowtarzalnym plastycznym stylu wypowiedzi autora。 Jedn Jako， że jestem absolutną fanką dorobku literackiego Twardocha， moja recenzja będzie krótka i bardzo nieobiektywna :） Fikcja historyczna w postaci losów żydowskiego boksera i jego ferajny na tle przestępczego światka przedwojennej Warszawy zostawiająca czytelnika z ogromnym uczuciem niedosytu。Pozycja przyjemna dla oka pod każdym możliwym względem， od błahości pięknego wydania， po istotę - niezwykle wciągającą historię namalowaną słowami w niepowtarzalnym plastycznym stylu wypowiedzi autora。 Jedna z ulubionych， polskich pozycji。 。。。more
Jerzy Babarowski
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2。5/5
Jacquie
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A well written time piece with impressive English translation。 At times difficult to read， but important nonetheless。
Krzysztof Kłobucki
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