This is an important novel set during the evacuation of East Prussia during the first three months of 1945 as Russian troops crossed into Germany and headed west. Something like 2.6 million Germans were resident in this far eastern outpost of Germany. For a variety of reasons, it was only very late into the invasion that 2 million Germans struggled in the most adverse conditions, including panic, to escape. 25.000-30,000 civilians died attempting to avoid the on-coming Russians, whom they rightly feared would engage in most horrendous retaliation in response to the barbarities inflicted during the German invasion of Russia in 1941. The novel sparkles with authenticity due to the fact the author was a childhood resident of this area during the evacuation. A distinguished German author, his own life was full of hardships, including 8 years in a Soviet prison. The translation is excellent and well delivers the emotions the author was seeking to convey.
The central character is the 12 year old Peter, based in part on the author's own experiences. The family is minor nobility, with a father off fighting in Italy, and a mother who seems strangely dreamy and unattached to the realities around her. In addition, the household is made up of Auntie, some Polish maids, and Vladimir an older handy servant. They live in a once grand old mansion, Georgenhof, right adjacent to a major road. The author devotes at least one chapter each to these characters so the reader really gains an insight into their sometimes strange behavior. Also living in the nearby town of Mitkau are several government administrators, including Drygalski who typifies the many unsuccessful Germans who supported the Nazis and got nice jobs as a result. He clearly resents this formerly noble family and is somewhat of a skunk.
Peter's mother without realizing it commits about the most serious offense a German can in housing a "stranger" for one night on his way to safety. Throughout we see the civilian population torn by indecision--should they leave; if so when and how; or will the Russians once again be defeated? So they dither too long and too late--ironically similar to many Jewish people who only decided to leave Germany when it was too late. When it is clear the family must flee, the mother is being held by police and Peter and Auntie must set out on their own into the chaos. The descriptions of the hardships facing the refugees, including being mistreated by one's fellow refugees, being attacked by Russian fighter planes, and always the intolerable and harsh weather, really allow the reader to get a realistic sense of what was going on during this period. However, as Peter tries to board the last boat to safety, one of the most unsavory characters performs an actual act of heroism.
One can read history on the page; here the reader actually senses and feels what the refugees underwent--so, the book make history come vividly alive. The novel is one of the New York Review Book Classics series, rightly acclaimed as one of most important sources for matchless literature, with an unerring eye for excellence and quality. Come join these hapless residents of East Prussia as they cope with the Russian invasion, and you will have invested your time wisely.
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A Rare Glimpse of a Forgotten part of History
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018
A unique aspect of the extraordinary tragedy that was World War II. The lives of members of a privileged group of Prussian Germans as they face the advancing Russian onslaught during the final days of the war are told. Should they join the masses of Germans who are fleeing west or should they stay in the comfort of home and among family and friends? While their reluctance to run is understandable in the end the decision is thrust upon them. In this superb translation from the original German the reader agonizes with each character’s dilemma. In the end the author’s question “Did any of it Matter?” leaves the reader with a hollow sensation.
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018
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Fredric Henderson
A title filled with pessimism, a novel filled with sadness and suffering which cannot drown out hope.
Reviewed in Mexico 🇲🇽 on July 29, 2019shelley gorman
This is an amazing book. Such artistry in the writing
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 3, 2018
