The Painted Bird (Kosinski, Jerzy)

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Many writers have portrayed the cruelty people inflict upon each other in the name of war or ideology or garden-variety hate, but few books will surpass Kosinski's first novel, The Painted Bird, for the sheer creepiness in its savagery. The story follows an abandoned young boy who wanders alone through the frozen bogs and broken towns of Eastern Europe during and after World War II, trying to survive. His experiences and actions occur at and beyond the limits of what might be called humanity, but Kosinski never averts his eyes, nor allows us to.

Book Description

Originally published in 1965, The Painted Bird established Jerzy Kosinski as a major literary figure. Kosinski's story follows a dark-haired, olive-skinned boy, abandoned by his parents during World War II, as he wanders alone from one village to another, sometimes hounded and tortured, only rarely sheltered and cared for. Through the juxtaposition of adolescence and the most brutal of adult experiences, Kosinski sums up a Bosch-like world of harrowing excess where senseless violence and untempered hatred are the norm. Through sparse prose and vivid imagery, Kosinski's novel is a story of mythic proportion, even more relevant to today's society than it was upon its original publication.

Customer Reviews:

Violence is real, and literature reflects life in this case........2007-10-10

I have taken the time to read several reviews of this book. Some people seem to "get" it and others seem to think it's nothing more than some excuse to write "perversion" (how many classics were called perversions during the era in which they were written, I wonder? The answer; more than I care to count. )

Face it people. Life is violent. War is NOT pretty, nor are the effects of it. I do not much care if Kosinksi made up every scene in the book from his imagination and/or studies of the effects of war, or if he did live some of it. This sort of horror happens EVERY DAY in the real world to those caught in a country ravaged by violence. Don't believe me? Watch the world news. Go do some research. Even if he did "make this up" he didn't "make it up". I give the guy props (in his grave or not) for having the BALLS to write the gritty, nasty details of the horror that is war which many people are too cowardly to admit is -reality-. So much for the noblity of the struggles of war, eh? This is how it goes down for the little folks. This is what it does to people. These are the depths that humanity WILL and have lowered themselves to for survival's sake and for the base, cruel nature that lurks within humanity. It's not pretty. It's not nice. It's not "fun" to read but it should at least change your view on the world around you and how it is, has been, and probably always will be violence hidden under a golden, glittering surface created by the media and less gutsy authors into making you think everything is for a noble cause.

A Terribly Beautiful Fiction.......2007-09-03

Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird is, as other reviewers have noted, an unrelenting meditation on violence as it is filtered through the strange, superstitious world of Eastern European Peasant society. Although the time frame deals specifically with the years between 1939-45, the setting seems ancient (as opposed to merely backward) and often mythic. Thus, what some see as an uninterrupted string of grotesque brutalities is, in actuality, a fictionalized world that posseses greater dimensions. The unnamed "hero" of the novel--a dark-haired adolescent boy who may be a Gyspy or a Jew--emerges as a young everyman trying to find his way in a world that does not accept or understand difference. In classic bildungsroman formula, his adventures not only place him in the way of physical danger; they enable him to formulate his slowly-evolving theories of God and existence.

Two of the main charges against the book (at least in the reviews here) are as follows: 1) The events did not really happen to the novelist and are a product of an imaginative--and perverse--mind; 2) The author sought help with style and organization from other people and then affixed his name alone to the title.

With regards to the first charge, Koskinski himself explains in the book's afterword (published 10 years after the first edition) that the events are invented. He explains quite clearly that he wished to create a novel. It was through the fictive experience that he felt he commuunicate the truths orf the holocaust more humanely. That aside, the events recorded are a synthesis of observation, study, and personal experience.

With regards to the second charge, plenty of authors (especially ones struggling, like Kosinski, to write in a foreign language) have sought the expertise of editors, etc...

Most of the animosity towards the book seems, in fact, misdirected rage towards the unrelenting violence in the book. The writing succeeds, however, because, as Anais Nin has astutely noted: "It surpasses most of the books in which experience of terror and physical cruelty are told because by the great beauty of its style, it lifts the entire epxerience to philosophic, mythological realms of knowledge."

Brutal and Brilliant........2007-08-18

I have just revisited this book, having read it first as a teenager and was astounded once again by its potency, both as a story, and as a terrifying inditement of human nature. In view of increasing world conflict in the post world war era, this book is more relevant than ever.

A Hoax, but does that matter?.......2007-04-30

From the "cut-rate Elie Wiesel", Kosinski's own description of himself. Does it matter that this is a hoax manufactured from whole cloth? Apparently not. Feeds existing prejudices and so is welcomed as a revelation. Here's to Mr. Holocaust, Jr., the Sr. title having been appropriated by that lachrymose pseudo-saint Mr. Weisel.

History is replete with examples of man's inhumanity to man. Claims of this book being "semi-autobiographical" have been shown to be entirely false. Kosinski is just another of the feeders-at-the-trough of the Holocaust Industry.

The truth is quite horrible enough. Why then the hoaxes like the book at hand and "Fragments"?

See The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering, New Edition for a critical and honest evaluation of the duplicity embodied by this and similar books seeking to exploit for personal financial and political advantage. Those who think this book is within the bounds of decency may wish to seek out that now out-of-print other hoax "Fragments".

A Tour de Torture.......2007-03-29

I read Kosinski's masterpiece on the recommendation of someone who was reviewing Beah's "A Long Way Gone"--remarkable similarities between the two though one is fiction and the other memoir, one takes place in Europe WWII and the other a civil war in Sierra Leone. In this particular edition (1976), Kosinski added a fine afterward which is a must read. Though fiction, this work is fact-based. Also, though Kosinski never names the country of his setting, one can guess it must be Poland. Apparently, the Polish government recognized it also since they banned the book in that country, citing it as a serious insult to the humanity of the Polish peasant society. After reading the afterward and the story, I can only conclude if the shoe fits...

Still, there were a few things I thought to be unrealistic. Kosinski's ten-year-old protagonist is made to undergo some unspeakable tortures, tortures that would have reduced an ordinary kid to a psychological bowl of mush. Yet somehow this kid always pulls through, packing up his comet only at the last minute and heading into the Polish hinterland to rough it until he can hook up with his next tormentor. It got so bad that I began to look for parallels with Dante's Inferno. It seemed that each new torture was worse than the last, designed to atone for some imaginary sin that this innocent boy had committed. Dante borrowed from Greek mythology to formulate his keepers of hell--I wonder where Kosinski drafted his?

The damage to the boy only became apparent at war's end when he was placed in an orphanage. There he found himself in a community of similar victims his own age. The war was over, the peasants were safely locked outside the city, yet the cruelty went on, and on, and on. The gang-rape scene of the teacher was particularly poignant. Somehow the protagonist regained his humanity--at least I believe that was what Kosinski signaled his reader when the boy regained his faculty--though I never was sure how. Maybe his message was that immersed in evil a good child can be made to mimic evil--if for no other reason than survival--but when that need becomes obsolete, eventually his true nature will reemerge.

--Ejner Fulsang, author of "A Knavish Piece of Work" Aarhus Publishing 2006

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The Painted Bird

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

PB No. 77176. Approx. 4 1/8" x 7".

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THE PAINTED BIRD

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0553124609

Product Description

Originally published in 1965, in hardcover, by Houghton Mifflin, this is the definitive, revised edition of the author's novel. Now regarded as a late-modern classic, it has been completely revised by the author, who has also added an introduction. Jerzy Kosinski was not at all happy with the first edition (1965), which was heavily cut and bowdlerized. This edition restores whole sections that did not appear in the previous one and also incorporates changes the author subsequently made. This is a graphically violent and deeply affecting novel of human brutality as seen through the eyes of a young orphan during the Holocaust. It is a powerful tale of a young Polish boy trapped during German occupation in World War II, and the brutalities that traumatize his childhood as he wanders alone from one village to another. This is a savage, unrelenting book, running the gamut from innocence to wanton barbarism, with whistle stops at everything in between. It is one of the most powerful and profoundly moving books written in the 20th century. One of the canonical titles of the century's literature, and Kosinski's finest, unsurpassable and magisterial achievement, this is the author's highly praised third novel, the first published under his own name. His first two were under the pen name of Joseph Novak, The Future is Ours Comrade & No Third Path.

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The Painted Bird

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Painted Bird

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Painted Birdhouses
Plaid
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Painting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0806918772

Amazon.com

Fans of country style will enjoy these birdhouse-themed pieces. Projects comprise both wooden birdhouses of various shapes adorned with rustic designs (sunflowers, wildflowers, ivy, quilt patterns, stonework, fences, and other motifs), and an assortment of items (storage chest, lap desk, cabinet, mailbox, metal buckets, T-shirts) emblazoned with birdhouse designs. Brief general directions explain basic decorative painting techniques; painting patterns are included for each of the 29 step-by-step projects. --Amy Handy

Book Description

Many of these 29 easy-to-make projects work as household decorations. Each design features a full-page photograph of the finished product, instructions, patterns, and diagrams. There’s a “Floral and Hardies” house with glued-on cutouts, a shingled wildflower home with topiaries, and a “church birdhouse” for bird worshippers. Or light up your living room with a birdhouse lamp. Plus: a village of other birdhouses to build.

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The Painted Bird

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0553074431

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AUDUBON, THE MAN WHO PAINTED BIRDS

Manufacturer: WORLD PUBLISHING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IK4NRI

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Audubon. The Man Who Painted Birds
Norah Smaridge
Manufacturer: World Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUKJJ4

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Audubon: the man who painted birds
Norah Smaridge
Manufacturer: World Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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The Thrill of Being Teased

Classic Mystery
Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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The Mystery of the Blue Train: A Hercule Poirot Mystery

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ASIN: 1579126898

Book Description

Linnet Doyle is young, beautiful, and rich. She's the girl who has everything—including the man her best friend loves. Linnet and her new husband take a cruise on the Nile, where they meet the brilliant detective Hercule Poirot. It should be an idyllic trip, yet Poirot has a vague, uneasy feeling that something is dangerously amiss...

Customer Reviews:

The Thrill of Being Teased.......2007-05-13

I picked up this book a few days ago and it is the first Agatha Christie novel I have read. On the back cover, there is a commentary that reads, "She [Agatha] places her characters face downwards like playing cards, shuffles them with cunning hands, and time after time we point to the wrong card." I didn't realize how true this was until every one of my stabs at identifying the murderer in the novel proved to be untrue. The character development in the novel is splendid, and the plethora of suspects makes the "guessing game" quite intriguing. The first half of the book sets the stage for the murder of Linnet Ridgeway, heir to a multi-millionaire's estate. Linnet marries her best friend's fiance, Simon Doyle, and pays the price as her old friend shows up on her honeymoon cruise to exact her revenge. From this troubled friend to various other passengers aboard the ship, Poirot has to pick the murderer. This is the point in the novel when you start to develop your own theories, and find yourself in awe as Poirot investigates each and every possible theory, makes you almost certain of your initial guess, and then taunts you by telling you your guess is wrong. The search for the culprit becomes increasingly fascinating as several other sub-plots serve to complicate the events on the night of the murder; a fellow investigator, for instance, joins Poirot in search of a serial killer aboard the ship.

Various anomalies in the description of the events preceding and following the murder of Linnet, as given by the passengers on board, prompts Poirot to probe into their secret lives, and leave you thirsty for the ultimate answer as you find yourself helpless in putting the book down.

All in all, this is one enjoyable read.

Classic Mystery.......2007-05-04

This was my first Hercule Poirot novel and I found it to be quite a good read. The story follows a wealthy American heiress on her honeymoon. It seems she stole her husband from a good friend of hers and that friend is now stalking the two of them as they travel through Egypt. Before too long, the heiress is murdered and Hercule Poirot is called upon to find the culprit. It turns out that the jilted lover is only the most obvious suspect. But virtually everyone around them had a motive and Poirot must sift through all the pieces to find his killer.

The characters are interesting and we definitely learn more about them and their motivations as the story unfolds. Relatively little is what it seems to be on the surface and it is up to the vacationing Poirot to untangle this complex web. Poirot himself is filled with charm and idiosyncrasies as he goes about his work. Reading this book, it is very easy to understand his popularity. The story moves along at a strong pace and is peppered with dialogue that remains witty and charming even after so many decades have passed since this book was written.

Even though my suspicion about the solution to the crime proved to be true, there were more than enough details that I had not worked out that I was still very interested in the reveal at the end. Based on my enjoyment of "Death on the Nile" I have already ordered more novels starring the inimitable Poirot and look forward to reading them.

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)

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Outstanding mystery
Mystery surrounding a great Romance
Death on the Nile = A great mystery
Classic Mystery
The more Agatha Christie I read....

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0425200469

Amazon.com

Hercule Poirot is perhaps Agatha Christie's most interesting and endearing character; short, round, and slightly comical, Poirot has a razor-sharp mind and puts unlimited trust in his "little grey cells." Those little cells come through for him every time, enabling Poirot to solve some of the most baffling mysteries ever conceived. In Death on the Nile, Poirot, on vacation in Africa, meets the rich, beautiful Linnet Doyle and her new husband, Simon. As usual, all is not as it seems between the newlyweds, and when Linnet is found murdered, Poirot must sort through a boatload of suspects to find the killer before he (or she) strikes again.

Book Description

A honeymoon cruise for Simon and Linnet Doyle turns into a nightmare when Linnet is found shot to death. One of the passengers is Jacqueline de Bellefort, Simon's jealous ex-fianc, who has confessed to Hercule Poirot that she wants revenge for Linnet stealing Simon from her. But when two more murders are committed, Poirot begins to see that no one on the ship is as straightforward as they seemed.

Download Description

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful. A girl who had everything ¿ until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalled an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ¿I¿d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.¿ Yet in this exotic setting nothing was ever quite what it seemed ¿

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding mystery.......2007-08-08

Death on the Nile is a masterpiece of mystery. Put a beautiful young celebrity who inherits great wealth in a love triangle. Then provide a backdrop of a very memorable Egypt and drop in Hercule Poirot. Now you have the chemsitry and ingredients for a terrific mystery.

As the plot unfolds and you finish a chapter, you will find yourself setting down the book to think through what the latest twists and turns may mean.

Don't miss reading this. You can do a lot worse, but not much better.

Mystery surrounding a great Romance.......2007-07-16

I'd read this book once in primary school, and re-read it again last night (in a single sitting, that is!). I enjoyed it much more thoroughly than I remember enjoying it earlier, and I must say as an Agatha Christie fan that this is her BEST novel.

The plot around the death in this novel is flawless and there's no question left in the minds of the reader once the mystery is unfolded. The author, as usual, kept me waiting till the very end to find out the solution to the mystery - and I experienced extreme pleasure and the 'aha' effect on reading the end. Wow, this is definitely a masterpiece, and one of Christie's best works. Highly recommended.

Death on the Nile = A great mystery.......2007-06-07

I read this book recently and found it very enjoyable. I picked it up because one, I love Agatha Christie and two, I love Egypt. As I began this book I found that it started out fairly slow. When I start a murder mystery, I look forward to the detective figuring out what went wrong and in Death on the Nile, it took a while for this part of the book to come. The other thing I was slightly dissapointed with was that there was not much information about the scenery of Egypt, which I was expecting. Then again, I guess you can't expect too much scenery from a foreign place in a murder mystery. The shock of who the murderer was in the end, was perfect. It made me think in my mind about how the whole scheme worked out way after I finished reading it. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a thrilling murder mystery, even if they have to wait a little bit for it.

Classic Mystery.......2007-06-05

This was my first Hercule Poirot novel and I found it to be quite a good read. The characters were interesting and we definitely learn more about them and their motivations as the story unfolds. Relatively little is what it seems to be on the surface and it is up to the vacationing Poirot to untangle this complex web. The story moves along at a strong pace and is peppered with dialogue that remains witty and charming even after so many decades have passed since this book was written.

Even though my suspicion about the solution to the crime proved to be true, there were more than enough details that I had not worked out that I was still very interested in the reveal at the end. Based on my enjoyment of "Death on the Nile" I have already purchased more novels starring the inimitable Poirot and am learning more and more why this character has endured for so long.

The more Agatha Christie I read...........2007-01-25

the more that I want to read! This is only the second Hercule Poirot mystery that I have picked up and I feel that I am just getting started on what will be a long and fabulous love affair with Agatha Christie's works. I'm sorry that I read so fast though. Death on the Nile, while considerably longer than 'Orient Express', was over too quickly for me. What I love best about the outcome of this mystery was that I had a sneaking suspicion all along what was happening, but so many twists and turns in the plot kept me second-guessing right up until the end. Really a great read.

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This Book Was Great

Death on the Nile

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0553119222

Customer Reviews:

This Book Was Great.......2004-08-28

Death on the Nile
276 pages
Mystery
Bantam books
ISBN 0-553-12539-7

Linnet Ridway was a very lucky person. She had practically everything. Wealth, a boyfriend, and anything she wanted at her fingertips. She even had many friends. One of them was Jacqueline de Bellfort, her best friend. "Jackie" was not rich at all but would not accept charity from her friends. She also had a boyfriend that she wanted Linnet to hire to work on her property. Linnet got to know Jackie's boyfriend "Simon" and they fell in love and were engaged.

Jackie was furious about Linnet stealing her boyfriend. Therefore she followed them everywhere they went including on their honeymoon to Egypt to "get under their skin." Linnet was furious about this so much they devised a plan to get away from Jackie, but was surprised and furious when Jackie turns up on a luxury cruise on the Nile. Jackie also is furious with Linnet about she and Simon's relationship. So when Linnet turns up dead, she automatically is suspected. But she could not have done it, so who did?

This book was absolutely a really great book. It was definetly one you cant put down. The plot was fantastic. This really is a must-read for all mystery lovers! 4 out of 5 stars!

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Death on the Nile
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: NY: Bantam Books, 1963
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

A honeymoon with murder. The Scene: An exotic cruise in the land of the ancient Pharoahs. The Victim: She made such a lovely bride. Alas, a tiny round bullet hole just above her right ear had interrupted what seemed to be a perfect honeymoon. The Suspects: The boat was crawling with them, including the ex-girl friend of the groom who said she just came along for the ride - and the groom himself who had at least a couple dozen million motives ($) for murder. The Clues: A dainty pearl-handled revolver, a string of stolen pearls and an initial scrawled in blood. The Solution: Even the great Hercule Poirot couldn't put the pieces together in time to prevent the murderer from striking again!

Perilous Journeys of Hercule Poirot - The Mystery of the Blue Train; Death on the Nile; and Murder in Mesopotamia

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Perilous Journeys of Hercule Poirot - The Mystery of the Blue Train; Death on the Nile; and Murder in Mesopotamia
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: New York: Dood, Mead & Company, 1937
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXI7GI

Perilous Journeys of Hercule Poirot: Including Mystery of the Blue Train, Death on the Nile, and Murder in Mesopotamia

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Perilous Journeys of Hercule Poirot: Including Mystery of the Blue Train, Death on the Nile, and Murder in Mesopotamia

Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H7LS4I

Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Unabridged)

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Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Unabridged)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B000UOAC6S

Perilous Journeys of Hercule Poirot including the Mystery of the Blue Train, Death on the Nile and Murder in Mesopotamia

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Perilous Journeys of Hercule Poirot including the Mystery of the Blue Train, Death on the Nile and Murder in Mesopotamia
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Dodd Mead
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BDBTZQ

Product Description

Four novels of Agatha Christie in one volume-Perilous Journeys, Mystery of the Blue Train, Death on the nile, and Murder in Mesopotamia.

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Death on the Nile

Manufacturer: Dodd Mead
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0396060641

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