In September of 1939, Countess Karolina Lanckoroska, wealthy landowner and professor of art history, watched the Soviet army march into Poland. After joining the resistance, she was arrested, sentenced to death, and held in Ravensbruck concentration camp. There she taught art history to other women who, like her, might be dead in a few days. This brilliantly written memoir records a neglected side of World War II: the mass murder of Poles, the serial horrors inflicted by both Russians and Nazis, and the immense courage of ...
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In September of 1939, Countess Karolina Lanckoroska, wealthy landowner and professor of art history, watched the Soviet army march into Poland. After joining the resistance, she was arrested, sentenced to death, and held in Ravensbruck concentration camp. There she taught art history to other women who, like her, might be dead in a few days. This brilliantly written memoir records a neglected side of World War II: the mass murder of Poles, the serial horrors inflicted by both Russians and Nazis, and the immense courage of those who resisted.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.
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Good. Shows minimal wear such as frayed or folded edges, minor rips and tears, and/or slightly worn binding. May have stickers and/or contain inscription on title page. No observed missing pages. Some foxing and/or discoloration around edges.
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Hardcover. Size: 6x1x9; First EditionHardcover. fine/fine DJ, New, unused. Free of any markings and no writings inside. For any additional information or pictures, please inquire.
A lot has been written about the experiences of the Jews during WW2. This book gives a wonderful window into the activities of non-Jewish poles who worked in the resistance movement. When the Countess Karolina Lanckoronska, a Polish professor of fine art, finds herself without a job under the Nazi regime, she volunteers to assist the resistance and begins carrying food parcels, staring down SS generals and carrying secret messages to further the cause. At one point she is the recipient of the confession of a General Kruger about murdering over a hundred professors in the city of Lvov. She is called to testify against him in 1943 by Himmler himself and although her testimony is believed, Himmler's biggest complaint against Kruger is that he told her! So she is thrown into Ravensbruck where her fellow inmates ask her to teach them about art to take their mind off their sufferings. She survived as did her journals and this book was published posthumously. I highly recommend this book. Terrific reading.
myrradine
Jun 3, 2007
A Polish aristocrat's anti-Nazi activities
Countess Karolina Lanckoronska's account makes for a riveting read. Though much of the book details her anti-Nazi activities which eventually lands her in Ravensbruck, the women's concentration camp, it also documents her time in the camp in chilling detail. We learn of female inmates being subjected to inhuman medical experiments, earning them the nicknames of 'rabbits' leaving most of the survivors scarred for life. The Countess' resilience comes across very vividly...she refuses special treatment, ever defiant till her liberation. She teaches art to the inmates [hence the title] and through it all, she maintains her sense of dignity and pride. Although this is not strictly Holocaust literature, it is an important piece of historical literature, being from a Gentile's point of view, and also helping us understand how this period in history affected not just Jews but people of other faiths and nationalities as well, and is an important book for those interested in the period.
