The Book Smugglers

Archival Summary & Scope

*The Book Smugglers* is the extraordinary true story of a clandestine group who rescued thousands of rare Jewish books and manuscripts in Vilna, "The Jerusalem of Lithuania," during World War II. Known as the "Paper Brigade," these scholars and poets—including Shmerke Kaczerginski and Abraham Sutzkever—first risked their lives smuggling texts past Nazi looters led by Johannes Pohl, hiding them on their bodies and in underground bunkers. When Vilna fell under Soviet control, the brigade discovered their precious cultural treasures were still in peril, forcing them to undertake a second, equally dangerous mission to smuggle the books out of the USSR. This thoroughly researched account, drawing on Jewish, German, and Soviet documents, unveils an epic tale of heroism, resistance, friendship, and unwavering devotion to literature in the face of two totalitarian regimes.