Love in Auschwitz
E-book, Czech
Love in Auschwitz
A novel based on a true story from the Auschwitz concentration camp
Helena Citronová, a Slovak Jew, and Franz Wunsch, an SS officer. A theme reminiscent of a Shakespearean drama. Forbidden Love; He Was Supposed to Send Her to the Gas Chamber, but He Fell in Love with Her; True Love; It Wasn't Love – these are just some of the headlines under which reports of the relationship between these two people circulate on social media. What was it really like? Was it sincere, loving, or was it Helena's desperate fight for her life? The book is based on historical materials, the accounts of survivors, eyewitnesses to those tragic events, and court records from the post-war trial of Franz Wunsch. With the main character, we return to a time when it was a matter of being or not being for individuals and entire nations. The author's goal was to convey to readers the atmosphere, the spirit of that tragic era, of the Nazi tyranny, and to leave it up to them to reflect on what they would have done in young Helena's place.
The book is not a judgment on her, nor does it pass a verdict. The author does not feel authorised to do so. Instead, she has tried to empathise with the fates of the women who found themselves in the hell of Auschwitz, who were placed in extreme situations for which they were not and could not have been prepared. They did not choose their fate. What happened, simply happened! Against their will, they were turned into puppets in the hands of the powerful.
Love in Auschwitz is a novel inspired by the turbulent life of Helena Citronová, Auschwitz prisoner no. 1971. A girl who experienced racial discrimination and the Holocaust first-hand. It is supplemented by period photographs and documents, many of which are being presented to the public for the first time.
Jana Vrzalová
A journalist, translator, and editor who worked for many years for leading Czech and Slovak newspapers, magazines, and institutions, including the Lidice Memorial. She is a regular contributor to the magazine Přísně tajné!. She is active in the Club of Non-Fiction Authors (Klub autorů literatury faktu) and was its chairwoman from 2014–2019. In addition, she is a laureate of the Miroslav Ivanov Prize for journalism (2013). In the same year, the Association of Bearers of Legionary Traditions awarded her the Czech Patriot prize in the journalism category for promoting national pride and the memory of the nation. The Lidice Memorial recognised her work with a Commemorative Medal. In 2018, she received the main prize in the Egon Ervin Kisch International Literary Competition for her book Engaged to Death (Zasnoubena se smrtí). In 2021, she received the Miroslav Ivanov Prize for her lifetime work in journalism. She is the author of the novel Love in Auschwitz, written based on a true story from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Specifications
Basic
Format & type of protection
Nakladatelství Epocha s.r.o., Kaprova 12, 11000 Praha 1-Staré Město, Česká republika, 224 810 352
Specifications can be changed without notice. Images are for illustrative purposes only.
