Kosinski (real name Lewinkopf) was born to a Jewish family in Poland. According to him, at the age of six, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was separated from his parents and wandered through Poland and Russia, living by his wits and under threat of being discovered and killed by the Nazis. He became mute and did not regain his speech until 1947. However, it was later revealed that during the war he had remained with his parents. Facing persecution by the Nazis, the family had adopted a new surname (Kosinski) and, at times, been forced into hiding.
From 1950 to 1955 Kosinski studied at the University of Łódź, receiving two M.A. degrees, in history and political science, and from 1955 to 1957 he was professor of sociology at the Polish Academy of Sciences. In 1957 he emigrated to the United States (settling in New York), taught himself English, and published two nonfiction works, The Future Is Ours, Comrade: Conversations with the Russians (1960) and No Third Path (1962), under the pen name Joseph Novak.
Kosinski then took the literary world by storm with The Painted Bird (1965), a graphic account of the horrific experiences of a Jewish child left to fend for himself in World War II; the novel was widely believed to be autobiographical, though Kosinski was vague when asked. This was followed by Steps (1968), which won the National Book Award, and Being There (1971; film 1979), a satiric fable about Chance, a simple-minded gardener whose innocence, shallow platitudes, and total dependence on television for his vision of the world are interpreted as evidence of profound genius by socialites, business leaders, and politicians. Kosinski had less success with his later novels, The Devil Tree (1973; revised 1981), Cockpit (1975), Passion Play (1979), Pinball (1982), and The Hermit of 69th Street (1988).
In later years Kosinski was an active member of several Polish-Jewish foundations and was president (1973–75) of the American branch of the international writers organization PEN. His reputation, however, was badly damaged in 1982, when The Village Voice ran an article that questioned the authorship of his works, notably claiming that others wrote significant portions of his books. Kosinski denied the allegations. Suffering from a deteriorating heart condition, he committed suicide by asphyxiation in 1991.
Cockpit (1971) -- A Review
Kosinski’s protagonist in Cockpit is an honest-to-God sociopath, a conman, a murderer, as well as a man totally devoid of sympathy or remorse. He is a Lothario type of character but because his emotions are never fully revealed, it’s difficult to ascertain his motives for the things that he does. And those things are quite nasty. He takes revenge and destroys people's lives without regard. He is a character without heart or soul who plays with people, creeping into their lives, gaining trust with growing influence until he has full control.
He scams his victims and pretends to be someone he is not by using false identities and always covering his tracks. His antics do not seems to be about gaining wealth; instead, it’s more like some personal vendetta against humanity itself.
As an example: he dresses as a mailman in order to steal bags of letters which he opens and reads. if they interest him, he finds the addressee and finds a way to enter their life. As I said, it’s not necessarily about stealing wealth by gaining confidence, rather he does it because he enjoys the game of it.
There isn't really a distinct plot to Cockpit, at least, in the traditional sense. The book describes events in no seeming order so if you want a straightforward read with a solid beginning, middle, and end, this one is not for you.
The protagonist of Cockpit is basically a sociopath. He creates elaborate schemes that end with a woman of his choice getting sexually involved with him. At times, Cockpit is almost painful to read, but it's also very interesting, because we're seeing into his mind, and even if we can't understand why he's doing what he’s doing, we can see part of his reasoning, and it's really fascinating, like watching a train wreck.
Additionally, it is revealed that our protagonist used to be part of some clandestine government agency, but somehow he managed to break away from that life while still requiring him to constantly relocate, always uprooting his life and creating new identities. He's really good at it. He can walk into a bar with one identity, talk with the bartender, and leave, then come back in a different disguise with another voice and persona and the bartender is none the wiser.
It sounds horrific, I know, but it is well-written and plus, it's highly entertaining. The story is vicious and mean -- I even feel a little ashamed I enjoyed it so much because the protagonist is such a horrible person.
After reading the first three pages, you should know what you're getting into.
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