‘If you want facts on The Holocaust, don’t read a novel’ – The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas writer John Boyne responds to critics of his work

John Boyne with 'Desert Island Discs' host Lauren Laverne. Photo: PA

Charlotte McLaughlin

John Boyne has brushed off criticism of his book, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, saying that learning the facts about the Holocaust should not be done through reading a novel.

The Dublin-born writer (53) responded to criticism from Jewish groups and historians about his 2006 children’s fiction book, which explores the tragic friendship between the son of an SS officer and a boy imprisoned at Auschwitz.