Biography & True Stories
August 2016
Fremde Eltern. Zeitgeschichte in Tagebüchern und Briefen 1933–1945
by Joachim Krause (Hg.)
Explosive discovery in the attic: Long after the death of his parents (1995/2000) and 70 years after the early "heroic death" of his uncle, Joachim Krause finds almost 2000 letters that they wrote to each other between 1933 and 1945, plus a few diaries. Like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, the texts gradually give shape to their thinking, life and actions at the time. The three young people seek orientation and they argue - about National Socialism and the Jews, about the meaning of war and death, about sexual morals and questions of faith. The mother proves to be a fervent admirer of Hitler, the uncle a fanatical officer, only the father maintains a certain critical distance to National Socialist ideology. Her letters become authentic witnesses of contemporary history."Such unembellished voices from prehistoric times make us understand the world from which the world of today originates. We hear who our parents were before we knew them." (Christoph Dieckmann)
