The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas author: Don’t read novels for Holocaust facts

John Boyne wrote The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (Amanda Benson/BBC)

The Boy In The Striped Pyjama s author John Boyne has swiped away criticism of his book, saying that learning the facts of the Holocaust should not be done through reading a novel.

The Dublin-born writer, 53, responded to criticism from Jewish groups and historians about his 2006 children’s fiction book, which explores the tragic friendship between the son of an SS officer and a prisoner boy at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.