Remarkable... an original and chilling quality, surpassed only by Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz. -- The New York Review of Books

In his writing, Imre Kertesz explores the possibility of continuing to live and think as an individual in an era in which the subjection of human beings to social forces has become increasingly complete. He upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history. -- The Swedish Academy, The Nobel Prize in Literature 2002

"[S]hould be savored slowly... Only through exploring its subtlety and detail will the reader come to appreciate such an ornate and honest testimony to the human spirit." - The Washington Times

At the age of 14, Georg Koves is plucked from his home in a Jewish community.