Author

Books by Wladyslaw Szpilman

Wladyslaw Szpilman (1911–2000) was a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer born in Sosnowiec. He studied in Warsaw and Berlin and joined Polish Radio as a pianist in 1935. After surviving the Warsaw Ghetto and the destruction of the city, he returned to Polish Radio after the war and continued as a pianist and composer for decades. He wrote the memoir that became The Pianist in 1945, though it was suppressed and not widely published until 1998. He died in Warsaw in 2000, one year after the book's international release. His survival story was brought to global attention by Roman Polanski's Oscar-winning 2002 film.