---

Two books have been published on this episode. The Wilkomirski Affair: A Study in Biographical Truth, by Stefan Maechler (Schocken, 2001), is the result of a study commissioned by the literary agency that held world rights to Fragments after charges against its authenticity had been raised. The book, which includes the text of Fragments as well, is a painstaking investigation. In contrast, Blake Eskin's A Life in Pieces: The Making and Unmaking of Binjiman Wilkomirski (Norton, 2002) mixes in a great deal of self-indulgent, present-tense, first-person narrative (one isn't surprised to learn than the author first told his story on the radio program, This American Life), but it complements Maechler's book in some respects.

Both Maechler and Eskin report on Wilkomirski's rapport with a woman calling herself Lauren Grabowski, who as "Lauren Stratford" had published memoirs of Satanic abuse (exposed as fraudulent by journalists Bob and Gretchen Passantino, an evangelical couple) before moving on to a Holocaust memoir. In an age of victimology, the Shoah provides the ultimate identity.

We began three weeks ago with the difficulty and the necessity of "remembering the Holocaust." That is but part of a much larger duty. As Richard John Neuhaus reminds us, "If St. Paul is right … the mystery of living Judaism is at the root of what Christians believe, or should believe, about God's redemptive purpose in Christ and his Church." That mystery haunts us with reminders of grievous sin but also turns us forward to a promise whose fulfillment we await with wonder.

John Wilson is editor of Books & Culture and editor-at-large for Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christianity Today magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Christianity Today.

Related Elsewhere:

Visit Books & Culture online at BooksandCulture.com or subscribe here.

This month, Books & Culture Corner is looking at books that provide an opportunity for meaningful reflection on the Shoah. Previous parts in this series include:

A Grave in the Air, a Soul Dancing | Two remarkable collections of Holocaust testimony. (April 22, 2002)

'Nebuchadnezzar My Slave' | Was the Holocaust God's will? (April 15, 2002)

In the Beginning Was the Holocaust'? | Blasphemy, rage, memory, and meaning of the Shoah. (April 8, 2002)

Books & Culture Corner appears Mondays at ChristianityToday.com. Earlier Books & Culture Corners include:

'Nebuchadnezzar My Slave' | Was the Holocaust God's will? (April 15, 2002)

In the Beginning Was the Holocaust'? | Blasphemy, rage, memory, and meaning of the Shoah. (April 8, 2002)

The Gospel According to Biff | A conversation with novelist Christopher Moore. (April 1, 2002)

Baseball 2002 Preview | Part 2: Saving the game? (March 25, 2002)

The State of the Game | After one of the best World Series ever, baseball faces a crisis. (March 18, 2002)

America's Homegrown Islam—and Its Prophet | The strange story of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam and onetime mentor of Malcolm X. (Mar. 11, 2002)

'Must Be Superstition' | Rediscovering spiritual reality. (Mar. 4, 2002)

Science Holds a Meeting | A report from the annual convention of the AAAS. (Feb. 25, 2002)

Saint Frodo and the Potter Demon | The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series spring from the same source. (Feb. 18, 2002)

Dictionary of the Future | Trendspotter Faith Popcorn on the words that will define our tomorrow. (Feb. 11, 2002)

Does Creationism Equal Holocaust Denial? | Yes, says Michael Shermer in Scientific American. (Feb. 4, 2002)

Theodore Rex | Is "popular history" getting a bad rap? (Jan. 28, 2002)

Letter to Martin Luther King, Jr. | A progress report. (Jan. 21, 2002)

Keeping the Dust on Your Boots | Remembering the Afghan refugees—and the church in Iran. (Jan. 14, 2002)

Coming Attractions | Books to watch for this year. (Jan. 7, 2002)

Books of the Year, Part 2 | After the top ten, here's the best of the rest. (Jan. 4, 2002)

Books of the Year | Part 1: The Top Ten (Dec. 17, 2001)

"Daddy, What Is the Soul?" | Does the church have an answer? (Dec. 10, 2001)