The Kirkus Review describes the book as “a wickedly enthralling novel by one of Poland's emerging literary stars, […] astonishing and heartbreaking in equal measure.”
Meanwhile, Publishers Weekly writes: “Twardoch’s brutal, messy, and compulsively readable English-language debut portrays boxing, the underworld, and the rise of fascism in 1937 Poland. […]Twardoch’s willingness to stare into the abyss elevates this racing work to sublime heights.”
The main protagonist of The King of Warsaw is boxer Jakub Szapiro. He is revered as a hero of the Jewish community in the Polish capital. With fascism on the rise, however, the tide is changing for him.
The King of Warsaw is to be published in April by Amazon Crossing, in a translation by Sean Gaspar Bye.
Earlier this year, it was included on a list of 20 books to be watched for in 2020 compiled by The New York Times.
Forty year-old Szczepan Twardoch is one of Poland’s most acclaimed writers.
(mk/pk)