H. G. Adler: A Life in Many Worlds

H.G. Adler was a survivor of Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and two other concentration camps who devoted his literary and scholarly career to telling the story of those who perished. He was a writer, scholar, radio essayist, and key contributor to the prosecution in the trial of Adolf Eichmann. His life was dedicated to helping human dignity survive in his time and that to come.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 416 pages
\n Publication date: 23 May 2019
\n Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
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The life of H.G. Adler (1910-88) is a remarkable tale of survival and resilience. Having endured the horrors of Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and two other concentration camps, Adler not only lived through the most devastating event of the 20th century but also dedicated his literary and scholarly career to recounting the stories of those who perished in over two dozen books spanning fiction, poetry, history, sociology, and religion. Despite his immense contributions, Adler remained largely unknown throughout much of his life. A writer's writer, a scholar of seminal works on the Holocaust, a renowned radio essayist in postwar Germany, a member of the Prague Circle of literature, which included Kafka as its leader, and a key contributor to the prosecution of Adolf Eichmann, Adler was a man of his time whose experiences shaped him. His story intertwines with the lives of many others, yet it remains uniquely his own. At its core, lies a profound tale of love and perseverance amidst the loss of his first wife, Gertrud Klepetar, who tragically accompanied her mother to the gas chamber in Auschwitz. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Adler embarked on a courtship and extended correspondence with Bettina Gross, a Prague artist who had escaped to Britain. However, he would later discover that her mother had also been in Theresienstadt with Adler before her eventual death in Auschwitz. Adler's life was marked by several significant events. He delivered a lecture in Theresienstadt commemorating Kafka's sixtieth birthday, with Kafka's favorite sister present. He also nurtured a younger generation of artists and intellectuals, including the Israeli artist Jehuda Bacon and the Serbian novelist Ivan Ivanji. His dedication to preserving Viktor Ullmann's compositions and his opera, The Emperor of Atlantis, resulted in their premiere decades later, receiving world acclaim. Additionally, Adler faced the challenges of postwar life, diligently churning out novels, poetry, and scholarship that would solidify his reputation. Despite the hardships he endured, Adler's legacy continues to inspire and resonate with readers worldwide. His unwavering commitment to telling the stories of the Holocaust and his profound understanding of human resilience make him a true hero of our time.

\n Weight: 758g\n
Dimension: 169 x 243 x 30 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780190222383\n \n