By Antonio Iturbe
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½ (Goodreads: 4.16)
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PART OF A SERIES? No
WORTH READING? Yes
SUMMARY:
Dita Kraus was a real prisoner of Auschwitz and this story tells the story of brave Dita, who risked her life to keep the joy of words – and a small, eclectic collection at that – alive during the Holocaust.
At only 14 years old, Dita becomes the ‘librarian of Auschwitz’ as she fights to keep hope and her mental health – and those of her fellow prisoners - intact.
Opening lines: 'The Nazi officers are dressed in black. They look at death with the indifference of a gravedigger.'
“Brave rather than reckless” Dita Kraus believed that books can take you further than any pair of shoes. I can’t say I disagree with her there. Because of that deep-seated belief, Dita performed what some people might consider a simple task (hiding a few books) BUT she was always under the threat of death if caught with even one of those books. This was such an incredible responsibility for a young teenaged girl, particularly compared with teenagers today (something that often occurs to me when reading historical fiction, as I’m sure it does you, too). The respect and reverence Dita (and other characters) show to books is beautiful.
Both in the book itself, and his comments at the end, Iturbe addresses that some people might judge that there were people who risked their lives to run a secret library in Auschwitz-Birkenau… and that this was act of ‘useless bravery’ in a place where there were other important problems. Iturbe explains it like this –although we can survive with water and bread, if we have nothing else, humanity dies. He says that if human beings aren’t moved by beauty or activate their imaginations, “…if they aren’t capable of asking themselves questions and discerning the limits of their ignorance… then they are not complete persons…”. Those 8 little books in the clandestine library gave hope, education and enlightenment to children, allowing them to explore their imagination in such a heinous environment.
There are excerpts from one of the library books peppered throughout The Librarian of Auschwitz. Initially, I queried the necessity of their presence, but after a while I found myself looking forward to them. I liked how these books (and in particular this one special book with its humorous main character) were with Dita, supporting her through her ordeal and allowing her to form important attachments and to escape reality. The books gave her some comfort and semblance of normalcy during her time in that awful place.
There’s a small side-story about two sisters which, again, I found myself wondering why it contained such detail… until suddenly, it all became clear. I eventually had to acknowledge that Iturbe includes very little without intent.
It’s worth reading the author’s notes at the end. They give a good summary of the fate of many characters, although of course it is infuriating and distressing that some people got away with their despicable behaviour. All I can say is, thank goodness for the great Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal!
I think it’s fair to say that Iturbe would be one of my favourite authors. His command over language is just stunning to me. For example, after someone turns off a tap, “…a question persistently drips on her head.”. Instead of simply stating that someone is dying, Iturbe paints this picture: “…connected to the world by a wisp of breath that is fading.” I love this phrase, pertaining to one of the library books on geometry – “…rows of ordered numbers in squads of arithmetical armies… and parallelograms like mysterious cells.” The way Iturbe uses imagery that matches symbols of war is so skilful.
N.B: If you haven’t read ‘The Prince of the Skies’ by Iturbe yet, do yourself a favour. It was a breathtaking book, too! (rated it 8.5). These books are both a ‘Yes from me’.
If you’d like to read Librarian of Auschwitz:
Click here to buy on Amazon
If you’d like to read The Prince of the Skies:
Click here to buy on Amazon
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