The Brief Sun

by Robert Ambros

Andrzej was only sixteen when he was deported from his home in eastern Poland and sent to a Siberian labor camp during World War II. The Soviets planned to work him to death, but all that changed when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union. Stalin was stunned and reluctantly agreed to the formation of a Polish army in exile. Andrzej had only one chance for travel thousands of miles through the Siberian wastelands to find this new army, known as Anders' Army. This is the true story of men who left Siberian labor camps half-starved, and trained with rags on their feet and wooden guns on their shoulders to win back their homeland. They developed into what British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan referred to as one of the greatest fighting units in World War II, winning battle after battle against Germany's finest soldiers and opening up the road to Rome for the Allies. An undefeated army in exile, they were betrayed when within reach of their homeland. Swept under the rugs during the Cold War, The Brief Sun describes the incredible true story of a struggle first to survive and then to triumph. British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan compared the story of Anders and his men to the march of the Greeks under Xenophon. 'Alas, though the Greeks at last saw the sea, which meant for them the final stage in the journey,' wrote Macmillan, 'this Polish force, starting from the prison camps of Eastern Europe, traversed Asia, Africa, and Western Europe, only to find, at the end of so much heroism, disillusion, and despair.' From struggles to survive in Siberian labor camps to triumphs on the battlefields of Italy, The Brief Sun is an extraordinary story of courage, heroism, and in the end, betrayal. For more information, see the web site dedicated to this novel www.thebriefsun.com.

236 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

Robert Ambros was born in Passaic, New Jersey in 1959. After receiving his medical degree at the Copernicus School of Medicine (Jagiellonian University), he further trained in surgical pathology at the New Jersey Medical School and in gynecologic pathology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. As a cancer researcher, he is the author of over fifty peer-reviewed scientific papers. His first novel, The Brief Sun, was based on his parents' WWII experiences in Siberian labor camps and won the 10th annual Writer's Digest International Book Award for best genre fiction. His second historical novel, When Eagles Die, explored the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on future generations. This was followed by a murder mystery in a WWII setting, Griffith Stadium. He is currently working on a series of humorous essays. He lives in Central Florida.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very accurate description of, according to the stories my father told me of his time as a labor camp prisoner in Siberia, and then being “liberated”.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so that I finished it over the course of one weekend.