Zygmunt Miłoszewski

Zygmunt Miłoszewski (born 1976 in Warsaw, Poland) is a bestselling Polish crime novelist and screenwriter. He is most famous for his crime trilogy featuring state prosecutor Teodor Szacki. The second book of that trilogy (A Grain of Truth) follows Prosecutor Szacki after he moves from Warsaw to the town of Sandomierz. He investigates a series of murders that mimic “blood libel” myths, forcing the character and readers to confront historical Polish-Jewish relations and deep-seated anti-Semitic prejudices.

The plot is inspired by actual anti-Semitic paintings still found in the Sandomierz Cathedral.The author uses the crime genre to provide social criticism of both historical and modern anti-Semitism in Poland. The investigation forces characters to face “uncomfortable scabs” from centuries of Jewish life and the re-emergence of prejudices.

In his narratives, characters often encounter the remnants of Jewish culture, such as bodies found near former synagogues or characters discovering unexpected Jewish ancestry in their genealogical research.  Prosecutor Szacki’s investigation includes interactions with a local rabbi, which serves as a vehicle for the author to discuss the shared “oversensitivity” and complex collective identities of both Poles and Jews. 

Miłoszewski has been credited with pioneering a style often called ”Polish-Jewish noir,” using the “whodunnit” format to explore the dark undercurrents of national history. N.B. Miloszewski is not Jewish. [Google/AI] [See the entry on the 2015 movie version of this book in the companion list of Movies-Films-TV Series.]

Miloszewski, Zygmunt, (A Grain of Truth: Polish State Prosecutor Szacki Investigates [pb, Bitter Lemon Press, 2013]) 978-1908524027 [See related film]