 He was known for various novels, among them "Being There" (1970) and "The Painted Bird" (1965), which were adapted as films in 1979 and 2019 respectively.Kosiński was born Józef Lewinkopf to Jewish parents in Łódź, Poland.As a child during World War II, he lived in central Poland under a false identity, Jerzy Kosiński, which his father gave to him.