The first English-language publication of one of the greatest Second World War memoirs — with a new preface by Norman Davies.

Born in Vienna in 1898, Karolina Lanckoronska was an aristocrat and art historian who taught at the University of Lwow. When the Soviets came to occupy the city, Lanckoronska became active in the Polish resistance. She was arrested in 1942, imprisoned and sentenced to death before being incarcerated, first in Stanislau then in Lwow and Berlin. She was finally placed in a concentration camp in Ravensbruck.

As a Countess, Lanckoranska was subjected to varying treatment, at times suffering near starvation, only to receive extra food and medical care at other times according to the often-conflicting concerns of the authorities in Berlin. With the intervention of some influential friends, the honourable actions of one Nazi, and efforts by the Swiss scholar Carl J. Burckhardt, she was eventually released.

Throughout her imprisonment, Lanckoronska remained defiantly resilient, loyal to Poland and committed to her fellow prisoners. Her magnetic personality and superb storytelling makes this a powerful narrative and sustains our interest through harrowing reading. Hers is an extraordinary story of courage and will.

 Back to top | e-mail or print this page

Countess Karolina Lanckoranska founded The Lanckoranska Foundation, after her release in 1945, to further the study of Polish history. She died in Rome in 2002 at the age of 104.

 Back to top | e-mail or print this page