history and criticism

Borowski's account of life in Aushcwitz is a classic. The brutality, inhumanity, and gruesome daily life in the hell-on-earth that was the Holocaust is matter-of-factly, even non-chalantly described and recounted in _This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen_. Little wonder the author put his own head in a gas oven in the years following his experiences. The images are haunting. But what I found to be most disturbing was the simple language Borowski used in retelling his experiences.

Borowski, a Pole, lived separately from the Jews who were daily incenerated. And while his life was unimaginably difficult, by some measure it was better than that of the Jews. A sense of guilt - call it survivors guilt, or regret, or perhaps at its most elemental level, deep and profound sadness - permeates the book, as it should. It is a remarkable read, profound and stunning. Highly recommended.

One of the first things you notice about this book is Borowski's writing style. He portrays life in concentration camp. Period. His language, while sometimes beautifully subtle and poetic, and other times sharp and to the quick, only seeks to enhance exactly what he is saying. There is no underlying tone, no message, nothing which colours and, in some way, distorts the prose. He leaves the conclusions, the thoughts, entirely for the reader to draw or to make. He does not seek to influence or to guide, only to tell.
And that's the second thing you notice about Borowski: his subjects. He writes about everything in the concentration camp, yet still focusing on relatively trivial events. The short stories don't appear as such, with beginnings and endings, like novels in miniature. Rather, it seems like there is a running narrative, stretching throughout the concentration camp period, from which Borowski has cut out certain pieces, almost at random, that rather than being those episodes which can best fit into the short story form of writing, will give the reader the best overall picture of the concentration camp life. Once again, his aim is not to create tension or excitement, in fact emotions of any kind, but to tell, just tell. Perhaps his subjects, his form of writing, does give you an idea about why he took his life a few years after the war: his heart, just like his prose, had had to be devoid of every emotion, because one who has seen things like he did, and survived them, cannot feel, lest he go insane.
This is a good book, and it's definitely a book that should be read. No book is perfect, and this doesn't recieve the fifth star because of some technical details. The prose, the subject, are all artfully done, but you sometimes do get lost. You lose yourself slightly in the prose towards the end. But it's not a long book, so it's not a big deal. And again, these are just minor technical problems. The artistic side is masterly.

Will you enjoy reading this book? The answer is no. But if you were to ask me if you should read this book then I would have to say absolutely. Borowski wrote with an honesty that I found amazing. He gave me a small window to look through and see what my grandparents might have gone through. This book while often shocking and always disturbing allows a little understanding into what life was like inside the death camps. Not for enjoyment but education.