With a new introduction by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A masterful novel that was a huge bestseller in Europe, The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman is a testament to the power of literature. Now with an introduction by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who named it her “favorite book no one else has heard of” in the New York Times, the novel follows Irma Seidenman, a young Jewish widow in Nazi-occupied Warsaw in 1943, who possesses two attributes that can spell the difference between life and death: blue eyes and blond hair. With these features, and a set of false papers, she slips out of the ghetto, passing as the wife of a Polish officer, until one day an informer spots her on the street and drags her off to the Gestapo. At times a dark lament, at others a sly and sardonic thriller, The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman is the story of the thirty-six hours that follow Irma’s arrest and the events that lead to her dramatic rescue as the last of Warsaw’s Jews are about to meet their deaths in the burning ghetto.

With a new introduction by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Praise for The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman:

“Dense, lyrical, and deeply unsettling.”—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

“There are accidental heroes and inadvertent villains, surprising and unexpected switches that lend the book its extraordinary originality.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Stunning . . . The characters are so fully fleshed that they seem to step off the page.”—NPR

“Brilliantly choreographed . . . blunt and hauntingly moving.”—Newsweek

“Complex and convincing.”—Philadelphia Inquirer

“A fine balance between poetic tenderness and an unflinching account of the brutal realities of the day.”—Guardian

“An exceptional storyteller, Szczypiorski passionately recreates the tumultuous war years for us . . . A rare find.” —Publishers Weekly

“An unforgettable group portrait.”—Kirkus Reviews