In one moment, there was great kindness and great cruelty, and I saw it as the perfect story of our humans are. (Zusak on the Random House website) Zusak could hardly have chosen, for The book thief, a better setting to explore the best and worst of humanity than Germany during the Holocaust. The book … Continue reading Markus Zusak, The book thief
World War 2
Thinking of peace in 1941
Oh the benefits (and sadness) of hindsight! This week, during my reading of the 1941 issues of The ABC Weekly, I came across a few references to peace and the need to plan for it. Oh dear! It's probably just as well they didn't know how much longer they had to go. Anyhow, one of … Continue reading Thinking of peace in 1941
Imre Kertèsz, Fateless (or Fatelessness)
[WARNING: SPOILERS, of sorts] Let's get the first thing clear. I like holocaust literature - not because I enjoy the subject matter but because in it I find the most elemental, universal truths about humanity. Depending on the book, this literature contains various combinations of bravery and cowardice, cruelty and kindness, love and hate, self-sacrifice, … Continue reading Imre Kertèsz, Fateless (or Fatelessness)
Whispering Gums 