KOSINSKI AS STORYTELLER is a collection of interviews, lectures, and transcriptions of media appearances of the legendary literary figure, Jerzy Kosinski. Compiled by his late widow Kiki, most are published here for the first time. These texts reveal his extraordinary gifts as a storyteller and bring new insight into the themes in his works. The compilation makes this strikingly erratic individual accessible.With a career clouded by doubt,these pieces provide a glimpse of the man behind the controversy. His most famous novel, The Painted Bird is a dark masterpiece Elie Wiesel called “one of the best” in Holocaust literature. The praise was overshadowed by fierce accusations of plagiarism from the Village Voice and the scandal irreversibly tainted Kosinski’s literary career.Grouped together in three main themes, literary, political and cultural, the pieces cover aspects of Kosinski’s eventful life. He expounds on the difficulties of writing under a totalitarian government, freedom of speech, the fine line between fiction and autobiography, the prominent role sex plays in his writing and life as well as the philosophical importance of violence in his novels. It also includes his controversial statements on Jewish identity.An insightful commentator and this collection reveals the brilliant storyteller behind the public figure.