zt ut owo , ▁Free ▁City ▁of ▁Dan zig ▁now ▁present - day ▁Now y ▁D w ór ▁G da ński ▁County , ▁P omer an ian ▁Vo iv odes hip , ▁Poland , ▁where ▁he ▁was ▁sent ▁in ▁March ▁ 1 9 4 3 ▁together ▁with ▁forty - se ven ▁other ▁Lith uan ian ▁intellect uals ▁after ▁the ▁Naz is ▁started ▁a ▁campaign ▁against ▁possible ▁anti - N azi ▁ag itation ▁in ▁occupied ▁Lith u ania . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁book , ▁S ru oga ▁revealed ▁life ▁in ▁a ▁concentration ▁camp ▁through ▁the ▁eyes ▁of ▁a ▁man ▁whose ▁only ▁way ▁to ▁save ▁his ▁life ▁and ▁maintain ▁his ▁dign ity ▁was ▁to ▁view ▁everything ▁through ▁a ▁ve il ▁of ▁ir ony ▁and ▁humor , ▁where ▁tort ur ers ▁and ▁their ▁vict ims ▁are ▁exposed ▁as ▁imper fect ▁human ▁be ings , ▁being ▁far ▁removed ▁from ▁the ▁false ▁ide als ▁of ▁their ▁political ▁leaders . ▁For ▁example , ▁he ▁wrote ▁" A ▁man ▁is ▁not ▁a ▁machine . ▁He ▁gets ▁tired .", ▁referring ▁to ▁the ▁gu ards ▁be ating ▁prisoners . ▁ ▁Origin ally ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁suppress ed ▁by ▁the ▁Soviet ▁officials ; ▁it ▁was ▁ultimately ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 7 , ▁ten ▁years ▁after ▁the ▁author ' s ▁death . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 5 , ▁a ▁movie ▁with ▁the ▁same ▁titled ▁as ▁the ▁book ▁was ▁released . ▁The ▁film ▁" The ▁Forest ▁of ▁the ▁God s " ▁became ▁the ▁most ▁prof itable ▁film ▁released ▁after ▁Lith u