A major publishing event; the first paperback publication of a lost masterpiece written in France in 1941, telling the story of a group of characters living under the Nazi occupation. The author died in Auschwitz in 1942, and was awarded the prestigious Prix Renaudot in 2005 - the first time that the prize has been awarded posthumously. 'A book of exceptional literary quality, it has the kind of intimacy found in the diary of Anne Frank' }TLS{. 'One of those rare books that demands to be read' Helen Dunmore }Guardian{. An audio edition is also published this month.