Kniha poprvé vyšla v USA v roce 1947, dále byla vydána v Mexiku, ve Velké Británii, Itálii, Japonsku, Španělku, ve Francii, v Rumunsku a nyní vychází její první vydání i u nás. Název knihy Pět komínů je symbolický a představuje počet krematorií, která se v koncetračním táboře v Osvětimi nacházela. Kniha má bohatý a pečlivě zpracovaný poznámkový aparát.
Focusing on the unique experiences of women in a concentration camp, this detailed personal account recounts Olga's seven months as an inmate in Auschwitz-Birkenau during 1944-1945. Her narrative sheds light on issues particularly relevant to women, showcasing her acute powers of observation and memory. This work stands alongside other significant Holocaust literature, offering a poignant and intimate perspective on survival and resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Olga Lengyel tells, frankly and without compromise, one of the most horrifying stories of all time. This true, documented chronicle is the intimate, day-to-day record of a beautiful woman who survived the nightmare of Auschwitz and Birchenau. Having lost her husband, her parents, and her two young sons to the Nazi exterminators, Olga Lengyel had little to live for during her seven-month internment in Auschwitz. Only Lengyel's work in the prisoners' underground resistance and the need to tell this story kept her fighting for survival. She survived by her wit and incredible strength. Despite her horrifying closeness to the subject, Five Chimneys does not retreat into self-pity or sensationalism. When first published (two years after World War 2 ended), Albert Einstein was so moved by her story that he wrote a personal letter to Lengyel, thanking her for her "very frank, very well written book". This book is a necessary reminder of one of the ugliest chapters in the history of human civilization. It was a shocking experience. It is a shocking book.
Drawing on her harrowing experiences as a Hungarian Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the author provides a poignant and chilling account of life in the concentration camp. Through vivid recollections, she explores themes of survival, resilience, and the profound impact of inhumanity. The narrative serves as both a personal memoir and a historical document, shedding light on the atrocities of the Holocaust and the strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable suffering.