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Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Silent and Unseen - in your bookshops now!

It's been a long time coming, but at long last, the English-language version of General Stefan 'Starba' Bałuk's excellent account of his World War II commando activities culminating in the Warsaw Uprising and its tragic aftermath is now available online.


It is published by Askon Wydawnictwo Naukowe and costs 80 zlotys plus postage and packing. The book's official launch will be held on 29 January, in the Concert Hall at the Royal Castle in Warsaw (12:00 - 14:00). If you wish to attend, meet the 96 year-old author and buy a signed copy from him (80 zł) in either Polish or English, please let me know - send me an e-mail (michaeldembinski@gmail.com) and I'll get you an official invite. Only 80 places - so hurry.

I translated the last three chapters, covering Stefan Bałuk's  wartime adventures from outbreak of the Uprising through to his release from Stalinist prison. I agreed to do this, putting in a vast amount of work, scores of hours, because I judged his coverage of the Uprising to be among the clearest account of the ebbs and flows of this, one of the two defining battles of 20th Century Polish history.

Read more about how the English version of the book came about here, and here.

The book is a must-read for anyone interested in Poland's WWII history.

4 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great book. Do you know if it will be available in the USA?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anon - you can buy the book directly from ASKON. E-mail askon@askon.waw.pl.

    Airmailed to you in the USA 120PLN incl. p&p,. Surface mail, 104 PLN incl p&p,

    Airmail price to the UK 111 PLN incl. p&p, surface mail 103 PLN incl. p&p.

    Askon's dollar account at Bank Millennium S.A. is: 82 1160 2202 0000 0000 3854 0726.

    Current exchange rate is: 2.77 PLN = 1 USD.

    Adthelad: I trust you'll be coming along?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the information, I'm anonymous from above.

    My girlfriend is going to Krakow in February to visit her son, so I'll have her pick up a copy when she is there instead of ordering it. Should be easier.

    I enjoy reading your blog and check it frequently.

    ReplyDelete