Ashes and Diamonds

Ashes and Diamonds (Polish original: Popiół i diament, literally: Ash and Diamond) is a 1948 novel by the Polish writer Jerzy Andrzejewski. The story takes place during the last few days of World War II in Europe, and describes the political and moral dilemmas associated with the soon to be suppressed anti-communist resistance in Poland. The protagonist Maciek is a soldier in the underground anti-communist Polish army assigned to kill the Communist Szczuka. The story follows Maciek's and other characters' actions in those ominous days. According to a Polish journalist Krzysztof Kąkolewski the original story was the killing of a Communist – and robber – Jan Foremniak, in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski in January 1945. The first edition was published in 1947 as Zaraz po wojnie (Directly After the War). Jerzy Andrzejewski rewrote the book according to changing party teachings because he was an eager Communist at that time. An English translation, entitled Ashes and Diamonds, by David Welsh, appeared in 1962. The novel was adapted into a film by the same title in 1958 by the Polish film director Andrzej Wajda.