From the Abyss: Memories from the Camp (Z otchłani: Wspomnienia z lagru)

Abstract

About the Author: Zofia Kossak (1889–1968) was a Polish Catholic writer dealing mainly with Catholic subjects. During World War II she lived in Warsaw, working for the Polish underground resistance organisation. She was the co-founder of the Catholic underground organisation Front for the Rebirth of Poland (Front Odrodzenia Polski) and initiator of the Council to Aid Jews Żegota. On 25 September 1943, she was arrested under the false name Zofia Śliwińska and held captive in the local Pawiak prison. From 5 October 1943 until 12 April 1944 she was imprisoned in the AuschwitzBirkenau concentration camp. When Nazis discovered her true identity, she was sentenced to death, but released through the efforts of the leaders of the underground resistance. Kossak lived in England after the war, returning to Poland in 1957. In 1985 she was awarded the honorary title “Righteous Among the Nations” for her involvement in Żegota.