Dead Man in the Bunker [Hardcover]

Martin Pollack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2006

Gerhard Bast was found shot in an abandoned bunker in northern Italy close to the Austrian frontier in April, 1947. Martin Pollack, his son, was then three and has no memories of his father. A middle-ranking SS officer, Bast had been on the run since the end of the war. He was an early member of both SS and Nazi Party and during the war commanded small Einsatzkommandos in the Caucasus and in Poland. He ends the war involved in murderous rear guard actions and atrocities in Slovakia. In attempting to piece together his father's life, Pollack assembles the memories of family and friends - who all remain extreme German nationalists until they die - and confronts the past by carefully reconstructing their lives with an extraordinary historical investigation. Pollack digs deeply into the archives and travels to the places important in the history of the Bast family and in his father's Nazi career. It is a painful personal journey which Pollack describes, one he had put off for a long time, until he was well into his 50's. The result is remarkable both as history and as a family memoir.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'The author's skilful melding of archival research and unfolding revelations makes a gripping story.' Annette Kobak, Sunday Times" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Martin Pollack, born in Austria in 1944, is a highly acclaimed journalist, editor, writer and translator. The Dead Man in the Bunker is his third book, and the first to be published in English. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (March 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571228003
• ISBN-13: 978-0571228003
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, June 25, 2009

By 

David Ljunggren (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Man in the Bunker (Hardcover)

The basic premise behind this book -- journalist summons up the courage to investigate exactly what his father did as a member of the SS during the war -- is rather undermined by the fact that he comes up with very few answers. This book starts with a detailed look at the German-speaking area (now part of Slovenia) where the author's father and grandfather grew up and how tensions increased in the 1930s as Germans became more nationalistic and started clashing with the locals. But the author draws a big blank when it comes to the centre of this work. It turns out he has very little idea what his father did during the war. He might have been involved in horrific massacres and war crimes, and then again, he might not. We see various photos of the SS man and then hear that his son has no idea when the photo was taken or what it really shows. There is far too much speculation and guesswork here to make this work anything more than of marginal interest.