The publication of Victor Klemperer's secret diaries brings to light one of the most extraordinary documents of the Nazi period. "In its cool; lucid style and power of observation;" said The New York Times; "it is the best written; most evocative; most observant record of daily life in the Third Reich." I Will Bear Witness is a work of literature as well as a revelation of the day-by-day horror of the Nazi years. A Dresden Jew; a veteran of World War I; a man of letters and historian of great sophistication; Klemperer recognized the danger of Hitler as early as 1933. His diaries; written in secrecy; provide a vivid account of everyday life in Hitler's Germany. What makes this book so remarkable; aside from its literary distinction; is Klemperer's preoccupation with the thoughts and actions of ordinary Germans: Berger the greengrocer; who was given Klemperer's house ("anti-Hitlerist; but of course pleased at the good exchange"); the fishmonger; the baker; the much-visited dentist. All offer their thoughts and theories on the progress of the war: Will England hold out? Who listens to Goebbels? How much longer will it last? This symphony of voices is ordered by the brilliant; grumbling Klemperer; struggling to complete his work on eighteenth-century France while documenting the ever- tightening Nazi grip. He loses first his professorship and then his car; his phone; his house; even his typewriter; and is forced to move into a Jews' House (the last step before the camps); put his cat to death (Jews may not own pets); and suffer countless other indignities. Despite the danger his diaries would pose if discovered; Klemperer sees it as his duty to record events. "I continue to write;" he notes in 1941 after a terrifying run-in with the police. "This is my heroics. I want to bear witness; precise witness; until the very end." When a neighbor remarks that; in his isolation; Klemperer will not be able to cover the main events of the war; he writes: "It's not the big things that are important; but the everyday life of tyranny; which may be forgotten. A thousand mosquito bites are worse than a blow on the head. I observe; I note; the mosquito bites." This book covers the years from 1933 to 1941. Volume Two; from 1941 to 1945; will be published in 1999.
#85876 in Books Wade Davis 2012-10-02 2012-10-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.37 x 5.17l; 1.40 #File Name: 0375708154688 pagesInto the Silence The Great War Mallory and the Conquest of Everest
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Great introduction to other Everest heros.By Andrew WindesFor my money; what makes this book such a terrific read is the way Davis reels the reader in with promises of yet another story about George Mallory; then introduces us to a whole cast of Everest heroes who have largely been forgotten. Mallory was; no doubt; an extremely interesting character; but his star is so bright largely because of the way he disappeared and subsequently rediscovered in 1999.The casts of the '22-'24 expeditions were full of great men. E.F. Norton was a great climber and leader; and reached the highest point on the mountain until the '52 Swiss attempt. Howard Summervell got almost as high; then spent the rest of his life as a missionary doctor. George Finch; Geoffrey Bruce and a host of others acted equally heroically. Davis does well to recognize these fine men.Despite Noel O'dell's sighting of Mallory and Irvine; I come own firmly in the camp of those who feel Mallory could never have made the summit. All of the pre-war climbers were convinced the second step was insurmountable.Incidentally; if you are looking for a good read to follow up this book; try Hugh Ruttledge's account of the 1933 Everest expedition. It has the advantage of having been written by the expedition leader; and is filled not only interesting facts; but gives a good portrayal of the participants and is damn funny to boot.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Great story but too longBy TigVII've never read a book by Wade Davis and I am very happy I read this book. Davis is a wonderful writer. His descriptions of the Great War battles involving English and Commonwealth troops convey the hell of trench warfare like more effectively than any I've ever read. Any fan of history knows how horrible the morass of the Western Front was but Davis describes the carnage so vividly and with such emotion I almost felt like he'd experienced the battles firsthand.In addition to describing the battles; Davis provides heartbreaking descriptions of how combatants and their loved ones were damaged and diminished by slaughter. No one touched by the experience escaped unscathed.There are no sacred cows in this narrative. Davis has no misgivings that Douglas Haig and other British "leaders" of the war effort were criminally negligent in sacrificing so many young men and women to strategies that were simply outdated for the weapons and defense systems of the time. And apparently these leaders never considered that their soldiers and their country might have been better served if they'd left their comfortable palaces safely behind the lines to venture somewhere near the front to experience the fruits of their negligence and hubris firsthand.The problem is with the chapters about the attempts at Everest. There were many people involved from many different places in England and its social strata. Davis provides detailed biographies of all of them and some of their acquaintences which is a great deal of data to consume. He is also very granular in describing the treks through Tibet and its many exotic places with names that are very strange to the casual reader. I had difficulty keeping my bearings. To me; all of this minutia detracted from the dramatic events and the superhuman efforts of Mallory and the other members of the expeditions as they struggled through brutal cold; ice and rain and debilitating altitudes to reach Mt. Everest.However; if Mr. Davis ever decides to write histories of the battles Great Britain engaged in during The Great War I will be at the head of the line to buy his books.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very few quibblesBy C. McKennaFirst -- the good:The book is really several books in one:1. A remarkable account of WWl. Some of the most heart wrenching (and graphic) descriptions of the carnage I have ever read. It was shocking and hard to read at times -- and I have read a lot of books about WWl and WWll.2. A lucid account of "The Great Game." It covered the high points and characters without going into obsessive detail;3. A history of the major climbers and climbs of the early 20th C.; and how this tied in with WWl. The author pays particular attention to how the War affected the psyche of the nation and the climbers.Into this mix he has astonishing and beautiful descriptions of the search for Everest; the people and their customs; and how (surprising to me) difficult it was to find a way to it.Now for the slightly problematic elements;As other reviewers have said; the author does go into astonishing details throughout; and especially so in the search for the mountain itself. Depending upon how much you are interested in this; it is either a strength or a weakness. Also; no matter how interested you are; it is difficult to follow the Tibet/Nepal section without a decent map. The two maps at the back of the book are utterly useless. And that is a damn shame.This is really the only fault; for me. I liked the detail -- but decent maps would have taken the story to another level. That is an unfortunate feature of just about all Kindle books though and not specific to this one. tried to remedy this with the "magnifying" feature; but it isn't adequately implemented in this or many books to really matter much.
