Before March of this year, I would never have imagined that the English language version of my book on the great Nobel Prize winner, Élie Wiesel would appear before the French one that was supposed to be online years ago. I was fortunate, however, to find in the General Manager and publisher of Mosaic Press a champion who was convinced that an English language version would be extremely appealing to North American readers. So I got to work immediately, shut out everything else from my mind, and like the monomaniac that I am, was able to whip up a two hundred page book within less than three months. My editor was delighted, because he had already been hard at work on a big publicity blitz for it, and wanted to present my new book at the huge international Frankfurt Book Fair in October, which he did.
My new book is titled Words of Witness, The Fiction of Elie Wiesel. In it I emphasize that in his novels far more than in his non-fictional works, Élie Wiesel celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of degradation and death. Through his novels I trace his spiritual trajectory as he moves from utter agony and despair when, as an adolescent, he was liberated by the American army from one of the most infamous of the Nazi death camps, to an unconditional embrace of life despite its multiples flaws and potential for tragedy.
Besides, the author assured me when I interviewed him a number of years ago that had he not traversed the interminable night of flames and horror of the Holocaust, in all probability he would never have become a novelist. He felt he absolutely had to create imaginary destinies in order to see more clearly within himself. In doing so, he has created a huge echo chamber in which all of the anguishing moral, spiritual, religious and social dilemmas of the 20th and 21st centuries receive a magnificent orchestration through his mastery of storytelling. What makes my book unique is that it is the only one to encompass all of Elie Wiesel's novels from Dawn (1960) to Hostage (2010) written a half-century later.
For the time being, my publisher, Mosaic Press, is offering my book at a substantial discount. Should you be interested in acquiring it, you can find it here. The people in charge of customer service are very good at filling orders quickly and accurately. My one regret is that owing to geographical distance I won't have the honor of inscribing a dedication in the copies of most of my readers.
I can say in all sincerity that this is the finest text I have ever written. I feel truly grateful that at the ripe old age of 86 I am still able to produce books that people enjoy reading. I look forward eagerly to hearing from you and promise to reply.
All the best,
Léonard
