Lili

LILI POHLMANN was born Lili Stern in Lwow on 29 March 1930 and before the war lived in Krakow with her parents and brother. She and her mother were the only family members who survived the war. Lili arrived in London on 29 March 1946 in the first of three transports of Jewish children brought over from Poland by the Rabbi Dr Solomon Schonfeld, who gave them a new life and freedom in this country.Lili has worked tirelessly to build bridges between the Polish Catholic and Jewish communities. She strives to make sure the survivors' legacy is heard, she wants to make sure that others know about the brave people who risked their lives to save Jews. In 2007 she received one of Poland's highest accolades, The Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta, awarded for extraordinary and distinguished service.ANNA BLASIAK is a poet, translator, journalist and literature co-ordinator of the European Literature Network. She has translated over 40 books from English into Polish and some fiction from Polish into English In addition to her book-length translations, her work has been published in Best European Fiction 2015, Asymptote, The Guardian, B O D Y Literature, Modern Poetry in Translation and York Literary Review. Anna has a particular interest in the Holocaust stories.

"Lili Pohlmann is the most remarkable person I have ever met. Her story is at once a testament to humanity and a profound and timely warning of what can happen to us all when that humanity is denied by political leaders. It should be required reading in these troubled times. I am proud to call her a friend."-James O'Brien, Broadcaster, LBC; "A moving and important book, a conversation between two immigrants who started their new lives in London. Lili, as one of the last remaining eyewitnesses of Shoah, reveals the story of her life to Anna, talks about her Jewish family, relays her memories, also the tragic ones and shares startling truths about war, at the same time giving us hope and a message for the future. Highly recommended."-Wioletta Greg, author of Swallowing Mercury longlisted for the Man Booker International 2017 and Finite Formulae and Theories of Chance shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize 2015; I started reading Lili and couldn't put the book down! The story is narrated in such a captivating way. I read a great deal about the Holocaust, academic books as well as personal narratives, and find this book outstanding in many ways. Clearly Lili's personality is unique and bringing to life such a horrendous historical era using a variety of small facts - with almost no historical arguments - makes her story overwhelming. I found this book truly outstanding. And the interaction between Lillie and Anna Blasiak is fascinating."-Emanuela Barasch Rubinstein, author of Mephisto in the Third Reich, The Devil, the Saints, and the Church: Reading Hochhuth's The Deputy, and Five Selves.; "It is a life story of an extraordinary person who lost her happy childhood and had to tread a path of suffering and pain, but has never lost hope, courage, dignity and ability to love and forgive, devoting her life to ensure that never again will evil prevail."-Witold Sobkow, former Polish Ambassador in the UK; Due to the extraordinary kindness of strangers during The Holocaust, as well as their own remarkable ingenuity, Lili Pohlmann and her mother were the only survivors of an extended family of over three hundred. This is the incredible story of how that happened, yet for Lili the more significant question has always been why. Why, when so many were cruelly taken, was she chosen to live? The relentless search for an answer to that unanswerable question has infused that life with purpose. Lili is the embodiment of empathy with a unique talent for bringing people together - witnessed by her successful career as a translator and interpreter. Her kindness and generosity has touched innumerable hearts of all ages, and her indomitable spirit has enriched countless lives. Lili's voice, so sensitively captured on these pages, brims with humanity; as you, dear reader, are about to see, time spent in her company is always a pleasure."-Antony Lishak, CEO Learning from the Righteous