The Swimmer of Auschwitz by Renaud Leblond - ISBN: 9781800962972
Paperback
Auschwitz survivor swims for France, defying death with every stroke.

The Swimmer of Auschwitz

The Incredible True Story of the Olympic Hero Who Swam For His Life

$26.99

  • Paperback

    272 pages

  • Release Date

    12 August 2025

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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 than 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-13:9781800962972
ISBN-10:1800962975
Author:Renaud Leblond
Publisher:Octopus Publishing Group
Imprint:Monoray
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:272
Release Date:12 August 2025
Weight:240g
Dimensions:216mm x 135mm
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 the author of several books of history and investigation, including “Main basse sur le genome,” “Le Pouvoir des sectes,” and “le Journal de Jules Rimet.” Passionate about sports, he founded the Jules Rimet Sports Literature Prize in 2012.

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