Succeeding generations often ask themselves, already as young people, what they would have done during the Nazi era. And learn thereby that the border between perpetrators, victims and hangers-on can seldom be clearly drawn. This book for adolescents, however, is about those who distinctly resisted—out of humanity and deepest conviction. The actress who hides a Jewish woman in her apartment and shares all the food rations; the priest who networks internationally against the regime and gets executed for it; the housemaid who brings food to her Jewish employer even after the Anschluss and ends up in a concentration camp: Renate Welsh brings the true stories of these people to life in touching and captivating narratives.
Moreover, but not only for young readers, she places the individual fates into a historical context in concise and informative addendums. Under a regime that turned inhumanity into a system, those who clearly said no proved what the human being can be. And that gives hope for the future.
Renate Welsh, born in Vienna in 1937, grew up in Vienna and Aussee. Studied English, Spanish and political science, worked as a freelance translator, and at the British Council in Vienna. Author of diverse books for children and teenagers, the most well-known ones: “Das Vamperl” (1979) (“Little Vampie” in English) and “Johanna” (1979). Various prizes and awards, including German Youth Literature Prize, Austrian State Prize for Children’s and Youth Literature, Theodor Kramer Prize, City of Vienna Literature Prize. “In die Wegschale geworfen” first appeared in 1988.
Introductory words: Former Austrian Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer
Advance booking requested: Tel.: +43 1 535 04 31-1510 or e-mail: events@jmw.at.
Photo (c) Ernst Gembinsky
Tuesday, 09 Apr 18:30,
Museum Dorotheergasse
