Title
I Will Bear Witness: A Diary of the Nazi Years, 19331941,Used
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The publication of Victor Klemperer's secret diaries brings to light one of the most extraordinary documents of the Nazi period. 'In its cool, lucid style and power of observation,' said The New York Times, 'it is the best written, most evocative, most observant record of daily life in the Third Reich.' I Will Bear Witness is a work of literature as well as a revelation of the daybyday horror of the Nazi years.A Dresden Jew, a veteran of World War I, a man of letters and historian of great sophistication, Klemperer recognized the danger of Hitler as early as 1933. His diaries, written in secrecy, provide a vivid account of everyday life in Hitler's Germany.What makes this book so remarkable, aside from its literary distinction, is Klemperer's preoccupation with the thoughts and actions of ordinary Germans: Berger the greengrocer, who was given Klemperer's house ('antiHitlerist, but of course pleased at the good exchange'), the fishmonger, the baker, the muchvisited dentist. All offer their thoughts and theories on the progress of the war: Will England hold out? Who listens to Goebbels? How much longer will it last?This symphony of voices is ordered by the brilliant, grumbling Klemperer, struggling to complete his work on eighteenthcentury France while documenting the ever tightening Nazi grip. He loses first his professorship and then his car, his phone, his house, even his typewriter, and is forced to move into a Jews' House (the last step before the camps), put his cat to death (Jews may not own pets), and suffer countless other indignities.Despite the danger his diaries would pose if discovered, Klemperer sees it as his duty to record events. 'I continue to write,' he notes in 1941 after a terrifying runin with the police. 'This is my heroics. I want to bear witness, precise witness, until the very end.' When a neighbor remarks that, in his isolation, Klemperer will not be able to cover the main events of the war, he writes: 'It's not the big things that are important, but the everyday life of tyranny, which may be forgotten. A thousand mosquito bites are worse than a blow on the head. I observe, I note, the mosquito bites.'This book covers the years from 1933 to 1941. Volume Two, from 1941 to 1945, will be published in 1999.
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- Q: What is the main theme of 'I Will Bear Witness'? A: The main theme of 'I Will Bear Witness' is the documentation of everyday life and the gradual erosion of rights experienced by Jews in Nazi Germany, as observed through Victor Klemperer's secret diaries.
- Q: How many pages does the book contain? A: The book contains 520 pages.
- Q: What type of binding does this book have? A: This book is bound in hardcover.
- Q: Who is the author of 'I Will Bear Witness'? A: The author of 'I Will Bear Witness' is Victor Klemperer.
- Q: When was 'I Will Bear Witness' published? A: The book was published on November 3, 1998.
- Q: Is 'I Will Bear Witness' a first edition? A: Yes, this book is a first edition.
- Q: What condition is the book in? A: The book is listed as 'Used Book in Good Condition'.
- Q: What insights does Klemperer provide in his diaries? A: Klemperer provides insights into the thoughts and actions of ordinary Germans during the Nazi years, reflecting on their reactions to the war and the oppressive regime.
- Q: What should I expect from the writing style of Klemperer's diaries? A: Klemperer's writing style is described as cool and lucid, with a strong power of observation, making it both literary and evocative.
- Q: What time period does 'I Will Bear Witness' cover? A: The book covers the years from 1933 to 1941.