The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

#1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 International Bestseller * Now a Peacock Original Series starring Harvey Keitel and Melanie Lynskey

This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on the powerful true story of Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov--an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.

"The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an extraordinary document, a story about the extremes of human behavior existing side by side: calculated brutality alongside impulsive and selfless acts of love. I find it hard to imagine anyone who would not be drawn in, confronted and moved. I would recommend it unreservedly to anyone, whether they'd read a hundred Holocaust stories or none."--Graeme Simsion, internationally-bestselling author of The Rosie Project

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism--but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an unforgettable work of historical fiction and a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.

Heather Morris is a New Zealander who now lives in Australia. She studied and wrote screenplays for several years while working at a large public hospital in Melbourne, one of which was optioned by an Academy Award-winning screenwriter in the United States. Heather met an elderly gentleman in 2003 who'might just have a story worth telling,' according to Heather. Both of their lives were changed the day she met Lale Sokolov. As their connection deepened, Lale started on a voyage of self-discovery, confiding in her the most intimate secrets of his life during the Holocaust. Heather first penned Lale's narrative as a screenplay, which won awards in international competitions, before transforming it into her debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.