חיילי עופרת

by Uri Orlev, אורי אורלב

The Lead Soldiers is the story of two small Jewish boys during the Holocaust of World War II. At once a thrilling narrative and a delicate psychological study of men facing mass tragedy, it has been acclaimed as a classic of modern Hebrew literature.

227 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Uri Orlev (Hebrew: אורי אורלב‎; born Jerzy Henryk Orlowski in 1931) is an award-winning Israeli children's author and translator of Polish-Jewish origin. Born in Warsaw, Poland, he survived the war years in the Warsaw Ghetto and the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp (where he was sent after his mother was shot by the Nazis). After the war he moved to Israel. He began writing children's literature in 1976 and has since published over 30 books, which are often biographical. His books have been translated from Hebrew into 25 languages, while he himself has also translated Polish literature into Hebrew. One of his most famous books, which was also adapted as a play and as a film, is the semi-autobiographical The Island on Bird Street.

In 1996 Orlev received the Hans Christian Andersen Award for children's literature.

Reviews

[Ozma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lead Soldiers tells the story of two Jewish boys in Poland during the Holocaust. They are young enough that they are not always entirely sure what is going on, even as they gradually lose their entire family. The world around them is just a game, like the war they play at with their small lead soldiers. They make their way from the suburbs of Warsaw to Bergen-Belsen, playing their games the whole way. Uri Orlev manages to portray the world exactly as a child sees it, even in the midst of war and death.

[Alessandro Margheriti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una storia vera. Storia di deportazione.
Storia di due bambini a cui è stata rubata l'infanzia, ma che hanno mantenuto integra la loro innocenza.