(Not that it should be forgotten, either.) It’s so horrible as to be unreal, unfathomable.
Trying to convey the horror of what happened through the concentration camps can be a bit much to take in. I’d argue that Rien où poser sa tête is a good candidate. Now that we’re apparently willing to give Nazis the benefit of the doubt, I’ve been wondering lately: what do I think students should read instead of what I read in school? I just resented them for not being better, considering the topic matter. Fortunately I’m not a psychopath and so I can understand, on an intellectual level, why these books are important. In-depth thoughts: As a student, I had a hard time connecting with the books we read about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. (If you, like me, are easily stressed and need to know certain things from the outset: Frenkel, a Polish Jew, managed to escape Nazi clutches and find asylum in Switzerland, despite a few close brushes with the authorities. Summary: Frenkel’s memoirs of Vichy France, and her flight from Berlin to France to SwitzerlandĬontent warning: It’s Nazi Germany there is witnessed and described brutality throughout. Language scaling: N/A (I read it in French) But since I have a passing familiarity with French, and really should practice a little now and then to keep it up, I opted to read the French original rather than the English or Swedish translations.
Of course, Nowhere to Lay One’s Head turned up in Asymptote thanks to Brigitte Manion’s review of the English translation. Rien où poser sa tête was one of those little gifts.
Their staff are like magical book sprites who leave little gifts of international literature in your RSS feed or email inbox. If you’re not subscribed to Asymptote‘s newsletter or following their blog, you’re missing out.
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