Product Description

This is the first-hand account of Rudolf's Vrba's extraordinary experiences as a registrar at Auschwitz as well as the story of his daring escape. Although a testimonial full of unbearable, vivid horror and suffering, it isn't this that makes the book so gripping, and so important. What endures is Vrba's personality, his unbelievable physical tenacity, and, incredibly enough, his sense of humour. Vrba was imprisoned in Auschwitz for twenty-one months and seven days. He then escaped with his fellow Slovak Alfred Weltzler. As they made their way home, they carried with them, seared in their immediate memory, the true story of the camp, the hitherto 'unknown destination' of Jewish deportees from all over Europe. Initially conceived as a serialisation in the 'Daily Herald' in 1960, this full account is being published for the first time in twenty years. It is a must read for any person interested in understanding not only the inner workings of the prison camp, with the expected horrors and brutality, but also a personal story of strength, survival and guile.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34705 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Synopsis
This is the first-hand account of Rudolf's Vrba's extraordinary experiences as a registrar at Auschwitz as well as the story of his daring escape. Although a testimonial full of unbearable, vivid horror and suffering, it isn't this that makes the book so gripping, and so important. What endures is Vrba's personality, his unbelievable physical tenacity, and, incredibly enough, his sense of humour. Vrba was imprisoned in Auschwitz for twenty-one months and seven days. He then escaped with his fellow Slovak Alfred Weltzler. As they made their way home, they carried with them, seared in their immediate memory, the true story of the camp, the hitherto 'unknown destination' of Jewish deportees from all over Europe. Initially conceived as a serialisation in the 'Daily Herald' in 1960, this full account is being published for the first time in twenty years. It is a must read for any person interested in understanding not only the inner workings of the prison camp, with the expected horrors and brutality, but also a personal story of strength, survival and guile.

About the Author
Rudolf Vrba was born in Czechoslovakia in 1924. At the age of fifteen he was excluded from the Gymnasium of Bratislava under anti-Jewish laws, and subsequently deported to Maidanek and then Auschwitz. There, he co-authored the Report on Auschwitz, known now as the Auschwitz Protocols. From his unique. insider's position within the regime's wily, treacherous and insidious administrative system, Vrba's experience of the Holocaust is unforgettable. He lives in Vancouver where he is Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at the University of British Columbia. He has contributed to Claude Lanzmann's seminal 'Shoah' film, testified as an expert witness at many trials of Nazis, and still lectures frequently on the Holocaust throughout North America.