 Kosiński himself addressed these claims in the introduction to the 1976 reissue of "The Painted Bird", saying that "Well-intentioned writers, critics, and readers sought facts to back up their claims that the novel was autobiographical.They wanted to cast me in the role of spokesman for my generation, especially for those who had survived the war; but for me, survival was an individual action that earned the survivor the right to speak only for himself.Facts about my life and my origins, I felt, should not be used to test the book's authenticity, any more than they should be used to encourage readers to read "The Painted Bird".