The Swimmer of Auschwitz
The Incredible True Story of the Olympic Hero Who Swam For His Life
$22.39
- Paperback
272 pages
- Release Date
10 August 2026
Summary
‘Propulsive… Readers will be hooked’ - *Publishers Weekly*
BASED ON THE EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORY OF ALFRED NAKACHE, SUBJECT OF THE OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILM PAPILLON
Alfred Nakache, a Jewish child from Constantine, never imagined that he would one day swim for France at the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, nor that he would achieve a world record, as he did in 1941. As a child he was petrified of the water and yet, somehow, through sheer wil…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781800962965 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1800962967 |
| Author: | Renaud Leblond |
| Publisher: | Octopus Publishing Group |
| Imprint: | Monoray |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 272 |
| Release Date: | 10 August 2026 |
| Weight: | 190g |
| Dimensions: | 126mm x 196mm x 18mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
An essential book * Michael Drucker, ‘Vivement Dimanche’ *An outstanding novel * Télé 7 Jours *A very instructive books that revives the tragic and praiseworthy legacy of this French swimming champion * Le Parisien *Sports writer Leblond revisits in his propulsive English-language debut the life of Alfred Nakache, an Olympic athlete who was forced to swim for his guards’ entertainment at Auschwitz… Readers will be hooked.” * Publishers Weekly *
About The Author
Renaud Leblond
Alfred Nakache (1915-1983) was a Jewish French swimmer and water polo player. A member of the French team for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic Games, he also swam in the first post-war Summer Olympics in London in 1948. He is one of only two Jewish athletes to have competed in the Olympics after surviving the Holocaust.
Renaud Leblond is an editor and writer, and the author of several books of history and investigation. Passionate about sports, he founded the Jules Rimet Sports Literature Prize in 2012.
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