Holocaust Memoir Mostly Fiction: Author

Best-seller on Jewish girl saved by wolves a fantasy, Belgian admits

By Michael O'Connor, Newser User

Posted Feb 29, 2008 6:15 PM CST

(Newser) – A best-selling Holocaust memoir, which follows a 7-year-old Jewish girl who lived with wolves after losing her parents to the Nazis, is mostly fictional, its author confesses—in particular, the parts about the wolves and her being Jewish, Reuters reports. Misha Defonseca says she "always felt Jewish," but, instead of skinning rabbits as she trekked across Europe, lived in Brussels with her grandparents.

Defonseca claimed that the fictional elements in Misha, a Memoir of the Holocaust Years were a result of her fascination with wolves and the escapist fantasies she indulged in during her darkest hours. Her lawyer argues that whether the story is true or allegorical, it is nevertheless "a cry of suffering and an act of courage."

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A picture taken on February 29 2008 in Paris, shows the best-seller book of Belgian author, known as Misha Defonseca, 'Surviving with Wolves', about how she was adopted by wolves after her parents were... (Getty Images)

A picture taken on February 29, 2008 shows the Dutch edition of the book 'Misha' by Misha Defonseca at the Dilbeek library. Belgian woman who wrote a bestseller-turned movie about how she was adopted... (Getty Images)

A picture taken on February 29 2008 in Paris, shows the poster (L) of the best-seller turned movie of Belgian author, known as Misha Defonseca, 'Surviving with Wolves', about how she was adopted by wolves... (Getty Images)

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Holocaust Memoir Mostly Fiction: Author