Smoke over Birkenau [Hardcover]

Liana Millu (Author), Lynne Sharon Schwartz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1991

These astonishing real-life stories describe the women who lived and suffered alongside Liana Millu while she was imprisoned in a concentration camp. They are stories of violence and tragedy, but also stories of resistance and of the endurance of the human spirit.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Curls of smoke constantly rising from the chimneys of the crematoria at Auschwitz-Birkenau form the backdrop for this moving and powerful Holocaust testimony of the women's camp. Written in Italian and translated by novelist Schwartz, it won the 1991 PEN Renato Poggioli translation award. The six narratives presented revolve around the feminine aspects of the prisoner's minimal lives. The author is a presence in each narrative, recording events that defy description. In "Lili Marlene," the women are part of a kommando unit filling up trams with sand to build roads. Lili, a beautiful 17-year-old Hungarian, is prey to the advances of the German boyfriend of her Kapo, Mia. After being severely beaten by Mia, Lili is deemed unfit for future work, and at the evening selection Dr. Mengele takes her out of line. In "Under Cover of Darkness" Maria unsuccessfully tries to hide a pregnancy, hoping for freedom and the possibility of raising her child. The dignity of these narrations helps to personalize the individual sufferings and deaths of the millions of anonymous victims of the Nazis.
- Molly Abramowitz, Silver Spring, Md.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian

Product Details

• Hardcover: 202 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Pubn Society; 1st English ed edition (September 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827603983
• ISBN-13: 978-0827603981
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harrowing account of an Italian Jew's experiences in Birkenau during the Holocaust, January 9, 2009

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Smoke Over Birkenau (Paperback)

I have read many books on the Holocaust, and I have to say that each one is unique - the horrors of the experiences as narrated by those who actually experienced them are always tinged with a personal touch and make for a disturbing yet unforgettable reading experience.

Liana Millu's "Smoke Over Birkenau" [translated here from the Italian] recounts her experiences in Birkenau during the Holocaust. Many compare her experiences as the female version of Primo Levi's [another Italian Jew] "Survival in Auschwitz". The stories in here describe the immense suffering endured by the camp's inmates and as witnessed by Liana during her incarceration. Years after reading this [and I've reread it many times since], I can still recall some of the details in these stories - they are simply unforgettable. Stories such as Lili Marlene whose beauty dooms her when she attracts the attention of a male Kapo who is already 'spoken' for, the one about the female inmate Maria who tries in vain to conceal her pregnancy and stubbornly refuses to abort thus sealing her ultimate fate, the tragic fate of a mother and son who choose to end their lives rather than endure the Nazis' bestiality,and many more. These stories of women who endured the unimaginable will resonate with readers and is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the Holocaust - it truly brings to light man's capacity for evil and at the same time provides a compelling portrait of human resilience, courage and faith in the darkest of times.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Story of the Holocaust by a Real Survivor!, November 3, 2005

By 

Aimee Thor "Aimee Thor" (Xenia, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smoke over Birkenau (Jewish Lives) (Paperback)

Gripping and beautifully written. Another powerful holocaust story of survival in the most extreme and terrifying conditions. Liana is to be praised for her courage and deep inner strength. Her story is one of tragedy and hope.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Emotional Nonfictional Account of Italian Jew, March 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Smoke over Birkenau (Hardcover)

Set down in the middle of Birkenau, an infamous concentration camp, Lili (Liana) tells readers her story of pain, hope, and dispair. Time is lost, and that loss causes many amazing things to happen. Truthful tales of death, life, and living death wrench the reader in every direction manageable. Easily read by any person in their teenage years or older.