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    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
    Ebook121 pages1 hourNHB Modern Plays

    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

    By John Boyne

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Bruno has a friend called Shmuel. Like Bruno, Shmuel is nine years old. Their birthdays are on the same day. But Shmuel lives on the other side of a fence, and he's always wearing striped pyjamas...
    Based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a heart-wrenching tale of an unlikely friendship between two innocent boys. Angus Jackson's deeply affecting adaptation was produced by The Children's Touring Partnership and Chichester Festival Theatre on a UK tour in 2015.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNick Hern Books
    Release dateJun 23, 2015
    ISBN9781780016375
    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
    Author

    John Boyne

    John Boyne is the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which has been adapted for film, theater, ballet, and opera. His many international bestsellers include The Heart's Invisible Furies, which was a Book of the Month Club Book of the Year, and A Ladder to the Sky. His work is published in 60 languages. He lives in Dublin.

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    Reviews for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

    4/5

    9,707 ratings586 reviews

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    • 4/5

      Oct 31, 2022

      An innocent nine-year-old German boy travels with his family from Germany to Poland during WWII, where his father is the commandant of a concentration camp. Their new home is nearby, and he befriends one of the incarcerated children. It is ultimately a fable of good and evil, and a heart-rending tragedy.

      It points to the innate ability of children to love, trust and care for each other. It shows the ability of adults to calmly engage in mass murder. Due to the way it is written, parents could use it as a starting point in communicating with their children (age 10 and up) about the Holocaust.

      I listened to the audio book, brilliantly read by Michael Maloney.
    • 5/5

      Aug 12, 2024

      It is extraordinary the way this book tells a tragedy of such magnitude from the eyes of a 9-year-old child, in such a simple yet profound and striking manner. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 4/5

      May 10, 2022

      A well-known and international bestseller, this is a book set during the Holocaust and telling the story from the point of view of an innocent boy. On the one hand, this should be a classic for generations to come and required reading; indeed, many teachers in the UK use this for teaching already. However, Bruno would not have been so unaware; as a German child of the time, he would have been part of the Hitler Youth movement, taught (brainwashed from a young age) to swear oaths to support the Fatherland. The book suffers from other faults such as the unfortunately flat character of Shmuel, the boy Bruno makes friends with — a child who more likely would have been instantly murdered at Auschwitz, the obvious setting as Bruno calls the camp Out-With. Sadly, the book falls short by showing the atrocity though one point of view, and a blinkered one at that. I can’t help feeling this would have a greater impact on today’s youth were the reader to see through the eyes of both boys revealing the true horror in the camp. Still, simply told yet disturbing, this fictional work of a factual era is appropriately unsettling, and as a teaching tool is a fine stepping off point for the young. I felt irritated that even a 9-year-old could be so ignorant of the world but realised this reflects one facet of reality — that too many, aged 9 and older, remain or even choose such ignorance. Although I worked out the ending, there’s still something chilling about the conclusion and the closing sentence is one hard to forget.
    • 5/5

      Mar 27, 2024

      One of the best books I have had the fortune to read. A very versatile and at the same time very sad story, considering Bruno's ending. Innocence is the main theme revealed. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 2/5

      Feb 9, 2022

      I came to this book with great expectations, and walked away from it deeply annoyed. Notwithstanding lots of small historical errors (Bruno's grandmother sings "La vie en rose" years before it was even written; Hitler didn't go out for private dinners and during the period in question, was almost never in Berlin, and certainly didn't dine out with Eva Braun in Berlin) that many target readers won't pick up on or care about, the real problem is the narrator. Boyne tells us he's nine years old, but he has the awareness level of a 3- or 4-year-old. The son of a high-ranking SS officer would have been a member of the junior division of the Hitler Youth; he CERTAINLY would have been aware of the Fuhrer's identity and image, making a key scene particularly impossible. (Hitler's image was everywhere...) The naiviete about Auschwitz and the treatment of the Jews might have lasted for a few days, but only a particularly stupid child of 9 wouldn't have picked up that his family had ended up at a KZ. The result is jarring as Bruno equates his plight with that of Shmuel. Either he's dim-witted or the author tried to ramp up the dramatic intensity and failed miserably. Since this isn't aimed at very young children, I think Boyne could have made Bruno a credible protagonist and still made his points -- in an intelligent way.
    • 5/5

      Oct 1, 2023

      It's a book with short chapters, a good hook with the plot, and you're going to love it.
      But...
      There are no words to describe this book; it leaves you crushed and very sad. The protagonist shines so much that you don't expect it to end in such a dark way. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Sep 24, 2023

      It's a book that I never thought I would be able to read since I knew a little about what it was about from having heard people talk about it. After a long time without being able to find a book that could immerse me in reading, I decided to read it, and I must say that I was surprised that a book so different from what I usually read was able to engage me so much that I didn't want to stop reading. It's all from the child's point of view. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Sep 6, 2023

      A novel that challenges prejudices, offering a heartbreaking perspective on human cruelty, the innocence of two children from different worlds during the Holocaust, and a friendship that radiates light and humanity. A reading that will leave a mark on my heart. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 2/5

      Feb 18, 2023

      Ah yes, let's follow a frustratingly naive nazi boy who never has to reckon with his beliefs before being killed off... You know what, let's put in just enough trauma for our Jewish character for the audience to feel bad for, but not enough to significantly impact their life... Let it never shake them from their god-like, perfect, aryan best friend *chefs kiss*

      This read like a fetishized Holocaust-guilt trip. Bad. Entertaining, but bad. I feel so icky.
    • 3/5

      Feb 11, 2023

      I am not sure what to make of this book. It is supposed to be for young adults but if you have no knowledge of the Holocaust, you wouldn't be able to make sense of it. And Bruno must be the most naive boy in literature. Can a 9-year-old be so naive? But I get what Boyne is trying to say here, that one's actions have consequences and friendship is pure. It just lacks credibility.
    • 3/5

      Feb 18, 2023

      Short novel, easy to read and entertaining, tells us how a boy suffers the adversities of World War II from his innocence, in his naive and childish world. Additionally, it shows us the wisdom of children, if that can be said; the protagonist has no problem befriending a Jewish boy, which makes us see that sometimes children do not worry about the stupidities that adults worry about so much, like race, social class, or nationality. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Dec 4, 2020

      This is a brilliant, heartbreaking fable, in which we view the Holocaust through the eyes of ignorant, childish innocence. It doesn't make sense...but should it, really? This is a must-read for everyone.
    • 5/5

      Oct 7, 2022

      Excellent book, hard. Although I don't know if the story is real, the truth is that the child's father deserves that and more. It's worth it. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Sep 30, 2022

      A precious book, easy to read and with a devastating ending. Reading it makes you more aware of the atrocities that took place during that time, but everything is told from a childlike and innocent perspective. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 4/5

      Jun 14, 2022

      The first time I read this book, I was about 10 years old. The thing is, I didn’t understand the ending. After rereading it about three times, I finally understood, and it made me sad; the first time I realized how it ended, I cried and everything. It was also one of the first books about World War II that I read, and since then, I have read many more on that topic, but for me, it will always be a very special book. I recommend it, this one and many others. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 4/5

      Jun 3, 2022

      A novel told from the perspective of the protagonist, a boy named Bruno. The son of a Nazi and a Jewish boy become friends; everything between them is easy, it's simple. We are the adults who insist on making everything complicated, on carrying out the most horrible acts. We should learn from those children for whom nothing matters except their friendship. It is a tender and painfully equal novel. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Oct 24, 2020

      Fast, quick read written from the perspective of a 9-year-old boy. It’s heartbreaking in its sparsity just as much from what is not said as what is. Grab a tissue.
    • 5/5

      Sep 13, 2020

      What an incredible book from a different perspective! The 9-year-old narrator's father serves as Commandant of Auschwitz. The story begins when the family leaves its nice Berlin home to go live in a house not nearly so nice and with no playmates. From his bedroom window he sees people clothed in striped pajamas living on the other side of the fence in huts. He befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives on the other side of the fence. The author perhaps overplays childhood ignorance/innocence in the story. I find it difficult to believe the boy did not know what was going on; however, I found the story fascinating because of the perspective. Most books would use a narrator inside the camp rather than outside, and using the voice from the outside created impact here. While I want to give it 5 stars, I cannot quite do that because of the believability factor. I listened to the audio book read by Michael Maloney. It was well done, and the musical interludes were beautiful.
    • 5/5

      May 7, 2022

      This book and all the books from that era are very beautiful, but very raw at the same time; I prefer the book to the movie itself. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      May 4, 2022

      Review

      The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
      John Boyne
      4.5/5 stars

      A very beautiful book but very cruel at the same time. I love the way it is written because it reflects Bruno's essence of tenderness, but the background is brutal. I definitely choose the book. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 3/5

      May 1, 2022

      I think I expected more from this book.
      The reading is fluid and can be read in one go.
      I understand it was written as a balm to raise awareness of the harshness of the Schutzstaffel in Auschwitz.
      The innocence of the children is very well portrayed, but to my taste, the book fell short.
      Personally, it was just another book among many. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 4/5

      Apr 23, 2022

      I saw it coming and yet I cried like a baby. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Apr 21, 2022

      A book that stays in your memory for a lifetime, even if only read once. For me, too painful... that's what happened to me with Schindler's List... but I recommend it a hundred percent.? (Translated from Spanish)
    • 4/5

      Feb 3, 2022

      I read it years ago, it's a short but very interesting and intense book. Ideal for getting to know a bit about the history of the war. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 4/5

      Jan 25, 2022

      I liked it a lot, the ending hurt me a bit but not as much as I was told. But I had it more idealized. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Jan 21, 2022

      Simple, easy to read, and super moving. I love novels told from the perspective of children. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 4/5

      Jan 16, 2022

      For those of us who enjoy books with stories related to the Nazis, I think this is a light, short book that doesn't leave you indifferent. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Jan 9, 2022

      I love this book, I had it on my bookshelf for a long time but never decided to start it since I had others that caught my attention more. I adore how it's written, from such an innocent perspective as that of a child. It's extremely easy to read and finishes very quickly. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 5/5

      Jan 9, 2022

      First book that made me cry, but it left me feeling so bad that I didn't even want to see the movie. (Translated from Spanish)
    • 4/5

      Jan 5, 2022

      Although it is a relatively short book, it is intense, hard, and one that touches the heart and mind. Although it is true that, for me personally, the writing style is not the one that excites me the most. Perhaps because, with half the book read, I already anticipated the ending. Still, I totally recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

    Book preview

    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

    cover-image

    John Boyne

    THE BOY IN THE

    STRIPED PYJAMAS

    adapted for the stage by

    Angus Jackson

    NICK HERN BOOKS

    London

    www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

    Contents

    Title Page

    Introduction

    Adapter’s Note

    Acknowledgements

    Original Production

    Characters

    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

    About the Authors

    Copyright and Performing Rights Information

    Introduction

    John Boyne

    When I was writing my novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas during 2004 and 2005 I never expected that it would go on to have such a long and varied life. A novelist who writes with one eye on either the screen or the stage is making a terrible mistake, and naturally it didn’t occur to me at that early stage that the story would find its way on to both. The film adaptation in 2008 was a tremendous success and the writer/director, Mark Herman, did a great job in capturing Bruno’s world, his innocence and naivety, and the depth of his friendship with Shmuel.

    In some ways, however, the stage is the perfect place for an adaptation. It’s a novel with very few characters and very few locations, and Angus Jackson, who adapted the book, has brought a fresh elegance to the story with his measured and thoughtful script. When I first saw it performed at the Chichester Festival Theatre in February 2015, I was particularly impressed by the use of a back screen that superimposed words throughout the action and a moving choreographed sequence where Bruno escapes the house for the first time, runs through the woods and discovers the fence and a new friend.

    At times I feel like just one participant in the story of this novel. I’ve spoken in hundreds of schools around the world, discussed it at numerous literary festivals, and been privileged to meet Holocaust survivors and hear their stories first hand. I did everything I could to respect their feelings and experiences in my novel; now it is an opportunity for the theatre to do the same.

    Adapter’s Note

    Angus Jackson

    The central challenge in adapting John Boyne’s book for the stage is that it depends on having a leading character who doesn’t know what’s going on. Not many stories work like that. For Bruno it’s a mystery story, he needs to find out about a new world, and he never gets to complete the adventure. So he asks questions, explores his environment and he explores his memory in theatrical flashbacks. He sees himself as just that, an explorer. In the first production Bruno’s journey to the fence involved the whole company beautifully choreographed, lifting and obstructing Bruno in turn, building the fence bit by bit until Bruno was left sitting opposite Shmuel. The sections of the fence came back when we needed them but not always all of them, the design was fluid, helpful to the actors but often not naturalistic.

    In the first production we were lucky enough to have six extraordinary young actors playing Bruno and Shmuel, three pairs in rotation. They gave huge attention to detail, impressive energy, and were very moving. I can also imagine it played by older actors, and I always wondered if someone might produce it with life-size puppets playing the two boys.

    There’s direct address by Maria, at the start and end, and banners on the back wall. If you don’t want to project those banners they could be spoken or handled in a different way. They are a response to John Boyne describing his story as a fable. It’s truthful, it’s based in fact, but it’s not factual. Our aim isn’t to seduce the audience, it’s to say ‘What if…?’ And that’s an exciting theatrical starting point.

    Acknowledgements

    Thanks to Kathy Bourne who guided us all to the book and steered us beautifully. Ed Snape, Marilyn Eardley, Jonathan Church and Alan Finch have been the most creative producers, as have all in The Children’s Touring Partnership. Thanks also to Emily Vaughan-Barratt and Tom Powis. Joe Murphy expertly led a remarkable team of Lizzi Gee, Robert Innes Hopkins, Stephen Warbeck, Greg Clarke, Andrzej Goulding, Jon Pashley, Malcolm Rippeth, Lotte Hines and Joanne Hawes to create a perfect world. Thanks to John Boyne who was collaborative and insightful throughout. And of course to the actors.

    A.J.

    This adaptation of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was produced by The Children’s Touring Partnership, and first performed on 19 February 2015 at Chichester Festival Theatre, before touring the UK. The cast was as follows:

    Characters

    BERLINERS, including three small boys

    BRUNO, a small nine-year-old

    GRETEL, his older sister, fourteen

    MOTHER, thirties

    GRANDMOTHER, a retired singer

    MARIA, the maid, twenties

    FATHER

    SOLDIERS

    PAVEL, a waiter

    LIEUTENANT KOTLER, nineteen

    EVA BRAUN, a photographer’s model

    PARTY GUESTS HERR LISZT, a tutor

    CAMP INHABITANTS, all male

    SHMUEL, a small, thin nine-year-old

    Note on the Text

    … indicates a speaker coming to a halt

    – indicates an interruption

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