The Railway Man

Archival Summary & Scope

Winner of the PEN/Ackerley Prize, *The Railway Man* is Eric Lomax's powerful memoir of courage and forgiveness. Captured by the Japanese during World War II, Lomax, a British officer, was forced into brutal labor on the Burma-Siam railway. After an illicit radio was discovered, he suffered two years of starvation and torture, always remembering the interpreter who presided over his interrogations. Fifty years later, with his wife Patti's support, Lomax discovered his former torturer was alive. This extraordinary account details their subsequent meetings and Lomax's brave journey to extend forgiveness and find peace. Adapted into a major motion picture starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.