Oral history
Hitler, Stalin and I
An Oral History
Heda Margolius Kovály and Helena Třeštíková; translated by Ivan Margolius
Description
This life and death human drama is not just about one survivor but a meaningful observation of an even more significant story about the bloody outcomes of extremism. – New York Journal of Books
Through interviews with award-winning filmmaker Helena Treštíková, Kovály recounts her experiences under fascist and communist oppression. Miraculously surviving both Łódz Ghetto and Auschwitz, then escaping from a death march, Heda participated in the Prague Uprising and its liberation. Later, under Communist rule Heda suffered extreme social isolation after her first husband Rudolf Margolius was unjustly accused in the infamous Slánský Trial and executed for treason. Her son and translator of the book, Ivan Margolius, adds critical contextual information surrounding the trial and its recently uncovered documents and film footage. Remarkably, Kovály, who was exiled in the United States after the brutal crushing of the Prague Spring, only had love for her country and continued to believe in its people. She returned to Prague in 1996 and died there in 2010 at the age of 91.
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Rights Information
World; L ex CZ
Endorsements
Heda Margolius Kovály’s personal account speaks well to students: it’s so expressive without being polemical, so very human. I’ve never found anything else that gives students such a vivid sense of that interaction of the experiences of Nazism and Stalinism in such a small number of pages. Young people are captivated by her story.
– Marci Shore, NPR commentator and Associate Professor of History, Yale University, 2020
A compelling read, appalling and inspiring, tragic and hopeful. Heda’s voice comes through incredibly strongly and my admiration for her clear headed courage and determination is very deep. Full marks to the interviewer for her part in getting Heda’s testimony on the record. The words and tone of voice do not strike a false note. The translation reads simply and without affect. I cannot begin to imagine what reading and re-reading about Rudolf’s murder must have been like. What degrading times they were […] I am very pleased – if that is the word – to have read it.
– Sir John Tusa, presenter of BBC 2‘s Newsnight (1980-1986) and managing director of BBC World Service (1986-1993)
Reviews
It is hard to imagine a reader who would not be inspired by the momentous life of Heda Margolius depicted in Hitler, Stalin and I. [… The book]is at once a harrowing journey, a kaleidoscope of images and sounds. If a reader truly hears the haunting words as if they are spoken one can begin to understand that this life and death human drama is not just about one survivor but a meaningful observation of an even more significant story about the bloody outcomes of extremism.
– New York Journal of Books
[Kovály's oral history] has extraordinary momentum, reads in ‘one sitting’ and, were it not a depiction of real life events, could be described as a suspense thriller. […] The story is so engrossing and filled with such immediacy and realism that the narrator, speaking from the soul, instantly wins the hearts of readers.
– Jan Hofírek, “An Exceptional Life Wandering Through the Century of Horrors“, Kniha.cz
Heda Margolius Kovály was a well-known writer and translator who survived the Auschwitz extermination camp and whose first husband, Rudolf Margolius, a deputy minister of foreign trade, was found guilty in the notorious Slánský show trials in what is one of the darkest chapters in Czechoslovak history. Kovály’s oral history should be required reading for anyone learning about the Holocaust and crimes committed by Czechoslovakia’s communist regime. It also offers a glimpse into Czechoslovakia’s First Republic. […] Her descriptions are unforgettable.
– Jan Velinger, Radio Prague
Heda’s torturous path through some of the 20th century’s greatest calamities is rendered with deep wisdom and a poetic eye for detail. Her misfortunes, and her perseverance through them, make Hitler, Stalin and I both an important historical account and a testament to human endurance.
– Tobias Mutter, Shelf Awareness
Author Biography
Heda Margolius Kovály (1919–2010) was a renowned Czech writer and translator born to Jewish parents. Her acclaimed memoir, Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague, 1941–1968 (Holmes & Meier, 1997) has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Her posthumously translated crime novel Innocence; or, Murder on Steep Street (Soho Press, 2015)—based on her own experiences living under Stalinist oppression—was named an NPR Best Book in 2015.
Helena Třeštíková has made over fifty documentary films. The film Hitler, Stalin and I, based on her interview with Heda Margolius Kovály, was first shown on Czech television in 2001 and subsequently received the Festival Award Special Commendation at the 2002 Japan Film Festival; the ELSA award for the best Czech TV documentary film by the Czech Film and Television Academy in 2002, and the Gold Kingfisher award for the best documentary film at the Festival of Czech Films, Plzen in 2003.
Ivan Margolius is the son of Rudolf and Heda Margolius. He is an architect, translator and author of memoirs, books and articles on art, architecture, engineering, design and automobile history. He has been awarded several writing prizes, including winning the 2017 British Czech and Slovak Association First Prize for his article about architects Karel Honzik and FRS Yorke, “Honzík and Yorke: How a Czech Architect Became the Prime Mover in the Ascent of Modern Architecture in Great Britain,” as well as the second prize from the BCSA in 2014 for his article “A Sound of Sauerkraut Exploding.”
Copyright Information
Text: ©2018 Heda Margolius Kovály, and heirs
Translation: ©2018 Ivan Margolius
DoppelHouse Press
DOPPELHOUSE PRESS is a character-driven publisher that focuses on memoir, art, architecture, design, and music, often encompassing forces behind migration and diaspora. Our mission is to bring together a plurality of voices to examine the dynamics between sociopolitical forces and aesthetic forms. The support of human rights and self-determination, untangling historical misperceptions, and providing alternate perspectives has been an equally important goal. Our books hinge around art and bravery, conviction and perseverance, defiance, hope, and the personal stories of people who seek to imagine a better world. DoppelHouse Press books are distributed to the trade by Consortium / Ingram. Contact:Publisher@DoppelHousePress.com | T: +1 424-258-4423 | F: +1 323-349-0985
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher DoppelHouse Press
- Publication Date February 2018
- Orginal LanguageCzech
- ISBN/Identifier 9780997818475
- Publication Country or regionUnited States
- FormatPaperback
- Primary Price 18.95 USD
- Pages160
- ReadershipGeneral
- Publish StatusPublished
- Original Language TitleHitler, Stalin a Ja
- Original Language AuthorsHeda Margolius Kovály and Helena Třeštíková
- Copyright Year2018
- Dimensions8.5x5.6 inches
- Illustration60 Black and white illustrations
- Biblio Notes8.5x5.6
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