48 | MAY 9 • 2024 
J
N

A

s one of the most 
gripping and pow-
erful Holocaust 
novels of our time, the best-
selling book The Tattooist of 
Auschwitz is coming to life 
as a new series streaming on 
Peacock.
Released on May 2, the 
six-episode limited drama 
series traverses the harrowing 
yet heartwarming true story 
of Slovakian Jew Lale Sokolov, 
who was imprisoned at 
Auschwitz in 1942 and forced 
to work as a tattooist tattoo-
ing numbers on prisoners.
At one of the darkest and 

most terrible places on Earth, 
Lale falls in love with fellow 
Jewish prisoner and soon-to-
be wife Gita Furman while 
tattooing her prisoner num-
ber on her arm. Their love 
unfolds in a place seemingly 
incapable of fostering it, but 
the pair defy the odds — and 
stay alive — by finding a rea-
son to live in one another.
Sixty years later, Lale, 
who is played by Harvey 
Keitel, meets writer Heather 
Morris, who one day pens the 
best-selling book. Slowly, Lale, 
who is now in his 80s, faces 
the trauma and memories of 

his past, letting Morris into his 
world one memory at a time. 
As their relationship develops, 
Lale learns to heal and finally 
puts his ghosts to rest.
Executive producer Claire 
Mundell takes us 
into the making 
of The Tattooist of 
Auschwitz and the 
process of bring-
ing Lale’s unfor-
gettable story to 
the TV screen.

JN: What initially drew you 
to the story of The Tattooist 
of Auschwitz?

Mundell: Back in the sum-
mer of 2018, I became aware 
of the book because every-
where I went, people were 
reading it — on trains, buses, 
even the man who came to 
fix my plumbing. It quickly 
became a No. 1 bestseller in 
the U.K. and stayed there. As 
a drama producer, I’m real-
ly drawn to stories that are 
about something significant 
and meaningful, and I really 
believe that drama has the 
power to change hearts and 
minds.
I was drawn to this story 
because it was about a subject 
matter which is known to me, 
and I thought was known to 
many people, but I discov-
ered after a bit of research 
some really shocking statistics 
about the number of young 
people who were unaware 
of what the Holocaust was. I 
think the idea of a love story 
in a place like Auschwitz, the 
most notorious concentration 
and extermination camp, was 
intriguing. Like, how on earth 
could two people fall in love 

An Intimate Look at 
the New Tattooist of 
Auschwitz Series

ARTS&LIFE
TV

Executive producer Claire Mundell shares how 
the story was brought to life.

Claire 
Mundell

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

