Escape through the Balkans: The Autobiography of Irene Grunbaum [Hardcover]

Irene Grunbaum (Author), Katherine Morris (Editor, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996

'A breathtaking story by a gifted writer ...It describes the flight of Irene Grunbaum from Belgrade through Albania and Italy and ultimately to Brazil...The fate of the Yugoslavian Jews under the Nazis is not well known. Even less familiar is the wartime experience of the small Jewish community in Albania. Grunbaum's route took her through areas where, in a haunting reflection of this decade's war in the Balkans, events were so complex and confusing that no one, least of all those caught up in them, knew quite what was happening. [Grunbaum] conveys both the concrete events and the emotional turmoil of a young woman on the run in alien, often hostile, territory, living on her wits, dependent on strangers, never knowing whom she could trust' - "Women's Review of Books".'Reads like an adventure story ...The memoirs suggest an attractive personality able to influence men and women alike, not to mention an intellect able to deal with trouble...Irene Grunbaum was resilience personified, hers was a will which truly triumphed' - "Immigrants and Minorities". Katherine Morris is Communications Manager at Conversational Computing Corporation in Redmond, Washington. She is the editor of "Odyssey of Exile: Jewish Women Flee the Nazis for Brazil".

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Translator and editor Morris, a visiting scholar in German studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found Grunbaum's unpublished autobiography at the Institute of Austrian Resistance in Vienna when she was researching Jewish women who emigrated to Brazil in the Nazi era. Grunbaum was a German Jew living in Belgrade when the war broke out. Her husband was killed, and she was forced to escape through the Balkans to a temporary haven in Albania until she eventually reached Italy and then later Brazil. Along her journey, Grunbaum encountered severe obstacles, including partisans, thieves, fascists, the risks of being a female traveling alone, poverty, and hunger. What makes this memoir compelling is the author's courage in dealing with ethnic hatred. She vividly portrays all ethnic groups, including the Serbs and Muslims who gave her assistance. Her autobiography is unique because it shows a brutal and complex part of wartime Europe which little has been written. Recommended for larger libraries.
Mary Salony, West Virginia Northern Community Coll., Wheeling
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A breathtaking story by a gifted writer . . . It describes the flight of Irene Grünbaum from Belgrade through Albania and Italy and ultimately to Brazil. . . . The fate of the Yugoslavian Jews under the Nazis is not well known. Even less familiar is the wartime experience of the small Jewish community in Albania. Grünbaum’s route took her through areas where, in a haunting reflection of this decade’s war in the Balkans, events were so complex and confusing that no one, least of all those caught up in them, knew quite what was happening. [Grünbaum] conveys both the concrete events and the emotional turmoil of a young woman on the run in alien, often hostile, territory, living on her wits, dependent on strangers, never knowing whom she could trust."—Women’s Review of Books

(Women's Review of Books )

"Reads like an adventure story . . . The memoirs suggest an attractive pers (Immigrants and Minorities )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803221614
• ISBN-13: 978-0803221611
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,751,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Escape through the Balkans, August 31, 2010

By 

Linda Reister "lindar570" (LOS ANGELES, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Escape through the Balkans: The Autobiography of Irene Grunbaum (Paperback)

Most interesting all that happened in WW2, this woman needs to have a statue of her made, what a life she had.