Daniel Stein, Interpreter

Based on the true story of Oswald Rufeisen, Daniel Stein, Interpreter is a powerful and unconventional historical novel about survival, faith, and moral courage in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Born into a Jewish family in prewar Poland, Daniel Stein survives the Nazi occupation by posing as an interpreter for the Gestapo—using his position to warn others and help Jews escape destruction.

After the war, his journey takes an unexpected turn: he converts to Catholicism, becomes a Carmelite priest, and eventually emigrates to Israel, where his beliefs and identity place him at the center of profound religious and ethical conflict.

Told through a striking mosaic of letters, diaries, official documents, and personal testimonies, the novel reconstructs Daniel’s life from multiple perspectives. This polyphonic structure allows Lyudmila Ulitskaya to explore not only the historical events that shaped the twentieth century, but also the deeply human questions they leave behind: What does faith mean after catastrophe? Can compassion transcend religious and cultural divides? Where does moral responsibility truly lie?

Spanning Europe, Israel, and the United States, Daniel Stein, Interpreter is both an intimate character study and a sweeping meditation on identity, belief, and reconciliation. At once historical fiction and philosophical inquiry, it offers a moving portrait of resilience and humanity in a fractured world, and stands as one of Ulitskaya’s most ambitious and thought‑provoking works.

This epic biographical novel based on true events shares a “moving depiction of how Holocaust survivors struggle to rebuild their lives” (Historical Novel Society).