Tattooist of Auschwitz author Heather Morris tells of her final moments with ... trends now
When Lali Sokolov was lying on his death bed after an extraordinary life, the woman who would reveal his story to millions was able to make him one final promise.
Heather Morris vowed as the Holocaust survivor lay in hospital after suffering a stroke that she wouldn't stop trying to tell the world what happened to him. That was in 2006.
It would be another 12 years before Morris's novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz was finally released, after she had tried and failed to get Lali's testimony made into a film.
Speaking to MailOnline as a Sky adaptation of her novel hits screens, the New Zealand-born author, 71, said: 'I was with Lali knowing he wasn't going to survive the night.
'I knew when I said goodbye to him I wouldn't see him again. I promised him I wouldn't stop trying to tell his story.'
That story, which has sold more than three million copies in its fictionalised form, is an incredible one of survival, hope and courage.
Lali encountered Gita Fuhrmannova - the woman who would become his wife - when she stood before him terrified.
Amidst the evil of the Nazi killing machine, Lali - himself a Jew who had been put to work under threat of death - tattooed a number on her arm like he had done to tens of thousands of people before her.
Lali Sokolov with author Heather Morris. Her 2018 novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz told his story to the world
Lali Sokolov with his wife Gita. Their story was made famous by Heather Morris's novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The pair were both already comparatively lucky, for they had not been among those who were immediately condemned to death after arriving at Auschwitz.
Around one million Jews died at the camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, many of them in the gas chambers.
The moment Lali saw Gita, he fell in love with her. Remarkably, both survived the Holocaust and went on to marry in October 1945.
They emigrated to Australia and had son Gary together, before devoting the rest of their lives to helping others.
Lali finally told his story to Morris after Gita's death in 2003. The author spent three years meeting with him several times a week, and the pair became great friends in the process.
He had urged her to finish recording his story so he could be with Gita again.
'I was joking a bit with him at the time, here is a man who has had a stroke. Lali used to do all the talking when were together,' Morris said as she opened up for the first time about their final meeting as he lay in a hospital bed.
Heather Morris vowed as the Holocaust survivor lay stricken after suffering a massive stroke that she wouldn't stop trying to tell his story. That was in 2006. It would be another 12 years before Morris's novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz was finally released, after she had tried and failed to get Lali's testimony made into a film
A new Sky adaptation of Morris's novel was released today. The six-part series stars both Jonah Hauer-King (left) and Harvey Keitel as Lali, whilst Polish actress Anna Próchniak (right) portrays Gita
Harvey Keitel (left) portrays Lali in later life, while Melanie Lynskey (right) depicts Morris. The author spent three years meeting with him several times a week
Lali and Gita joyfully embrace in a photo that was taken after their wartime ordeal in the Holocaust
Lali and Gita Sokolov in later life. Their romance survived against all the odds
'I remember joking with him that I am doing more than my share of talking with him tonight.
'I talked to him for more than two hours. I kissed him on both cheeks, the way he always kissed me.
'I said it was ok, it was time to be with Gita, I never tried to stop telling his story. The doctor and that nurse who were in the room at the time, they both had tears streaming down their face.
'The nurse looked at the number on his arm and said he was important wasn't he. I said he was.'
Morris kept meeting with Lali because, she said, they enjoyed being together.
'I kept going back to him because he became my friend. He became part of my family,' she said, before adding: 'He used to joke with my late husband that "she may be your wife but she's my girlfriend."
Despite its popularity, Morris's novel did receive some criticism from historians at the Auschwitz Memorial, who claimed the book contained 'numerous errors and information inconsistent with the facts, as well as exaggerations, misinterpretations and understatements.'
Among the alleged errors highlighted was the number that Lali was depicted tattooing on Gita's arm.
Morris recorded it as 34902, but this was disputed by scholar Wanda Witek-Malicka in a report she wrote on the book.
Gary Sokolov was born in 1961. His parents married in October 1945 after their ordeal at Auschwitz. Above: Gary with his mother and father
Gary Sokolov attending a screening for The Tattooist of Auschwitz in London on April 9
Polish actress Anna Próchniak (right) as Gita. Like Lali she was deported to Auschwitz but survived
Próchniak portraying Gita in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which debuted today on Sky
Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris and Harvey Keitel as Lali Sokolov
Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris, interviewing Sokolov (played by Harvey Keitel) in later life
She said: 'We do not find any surviving documents with her personal data or relating to number 34902 issued in the women's series.'
It was pointed out that women who entered the camp in 1942 - as Gita did - were given four-digit numbers.
Years earlier, Gita herself had said in oral testimony given to the USC Shoah Foundation that her number was 4562.
However, Morris was insistent that Gita was initially tattooed by someone else, when Auschwitz's authorities were 'still experimenting with how to do it'.
She claimed that the number Lali tattooed on her - the one he recounted to Morris - was the second attempt, because the other had faded.
The author also defended herself against the book's other mistakes, including her depiction of Lali giving Gita penicillin for typhoid fever in 1943.
