A Conversation with Judy Batalion about her new novel, The Last Woman of Warsaw

READ HER LIKE AN OPEN BOOK
April 7, 2026

Q.  As a memoirist, essay writer and the author of your New York Times bestseller, The Lights of Days, what inspired you to turn to fiction?

A.  I’ve always been writing fiction. I have digital drawers filled with unpublished novels and short story drafts! So while this is a pivot in my publishing career, it’s not a huge creative shift. In this case, I started writing The Last Woman of Warsaw as a novel for both practical and creative reasons. I came up with the idea for the book in 2021, while “virtually” touring for The Light of Days, the true story of Jewish teenage girls who had fought the Nazis from the ghettos in Poland. I noticed that my readers were interested in understanding more about the world that had created these stylish, daring and educated young Jewish women, a world that didn’t match our Fiddler on the Roof conceptions of the era.