Karolina's Twins (43 page)

 

A Conversation with Ronald H. Balson

Please take us into the process of writing
Karolina's Twins.
What inspired you to tell this story? How did you develop these distinctive characters? Are any characters or incidents drawn from real life?

When I was on my book tour for
Once We Were Brothers,
I met a lot of survivors and children of survivors. Many of them chose to share their stories with me (even though they may not have shared them with their own families). They were all incredible—stories of courage, determination, strength, and love. One such person sought me out and talked to me on the telephone. She told me that she had read many books on the Holocaust but that only
Once We Were Brothers
got it “just right.” She told me she thought she was reading about her own family. I had to meet her. We spent an afternoon over salads and ice teas and she told me about her experience. I was in awe. Never had I heard such stories. When she got to the part about the twins, I knew I had to write about it. I asked her permission and, with nonchalance, she said: “sure.” I told her that I wouldn't write it as a biography but as a work of fiction—one with court scenes and romance—and she approved. Most of the characters are drawn from real life, but some are of my own invention.

How did you approach your research? Did you take any artistic liberties in terms of historical facts or events?

My research is exhaustive. I try very hard to make sure that the setting and historical background are accurate and authentic. There are no artistic liberties with regard to the historical facts. The characters, of course, are fictional and their role in the historical setting (i.e., Colonel Muller) is imaginary.

Do you have a favorite scene in
Karolina's Twins
?

It's hard for me to pinpoint a “favorite” scene. Of course the train scene is very powerful for me, but I am partial to the scenes in the ghetto—those involving Lena, David, Yossi, and Karolina.

Is there any material that ended up on the cutting-room floor (so to speak)? What if any editorial advice did you either refute or adhere to?

Yes. There were scenes involving Arthur that were deleted because, as my editor kindly pointed out, they were inconsistent with Arthur's character.

Your previous novel,
Saving Sophie,
was about the formation of, and subsequent tensions surrounding, the State of Israel. What draws you to write about Jewish issues and identity? Furthermore, what do you hope readers—Jewish and non- alike—will take away from your work?

Jewish issues are important to me, but the issues in my novels are not singularly Jewish, especially those concerning World War II. I do have a strong connection with Israel. I have family there and I've been there many times. I think it's fair to say that the state of affairs in the Middle East involves us all.

Are you currently working on another book?

I am in the middle of a murder mystery set in Antrim, Northern Ireland. The story is rich in Northern Ireland's history, especially during the years of the sectarian war known as The Troubles. In the story, Liam Taggart's uncle has been killed and Liam returns to Northern Ireland to search for the killers.

 

 

A Selection of Photographs

Lena's home in Chrzanów

The Chrzanów town square where the Scheinmans had their provisions store

Lena's high school in Kraków

Women's barracks at the Auschwitz concentration camp

Bunks where Lena was forced to sleep with three other women on the concrete lower level

Entrance to the camp which Lena viewed through liberated eyes

 

 

Recommended Reading

For more information about the subject matter and related themes addressed in
Karolina's Twins,
the author suggests the following books for further reading.

The Sunflower

Simon Wiesenthal

Mila 18

Leon Uris

The Winds of War
War and Remembrance

Herman Wouk

Leap Into Darkness: Seven Years on the Run in Wartime Europe

Leo Bretholtz and Michael Olesker

The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank

The Nightingale

Kristin Hannah

Sarah's Key

Tatiana de Rosnay

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

William L. Shirer

 

Discussion Questions

  1. Lena and Catherine are certainly different people, from different backgrounds and different eras, yet they are alike in many respects. How does the story reveal their parallel characteristics?

  2. Choosing to have a baby in the midst of the Holocaust is an impossible decision. What went through Lena's mind? What do you think would go through your own?

  3. There is an obvious disconnect in the relationship between Arthur and his mother. What brought it about? What do you think motivated Arthur to pursue incompetency hearings?

  4. There have been extraordinary heroes who voluntarily entered Auschwitz to smuggle out information to the Allies. Witold Pilecki and Jan Karski are two such individuals. Knowing what was happening in Auschwitz relatively early in the war, why do you think the Allies chose not to bomb Auschwitz? Do you agree with that decision?

  5. Lena (and the survivor who inspired this novel) actively protested the Neo-Nazis' plan to march through Skokie, Illinois, in 1978. Skokie is a town with many Holocaust survivors, which is why the Nazis chose the location. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Nazis to allow the march, justifying their reasoning on First Amendment free speech grounds. What is your feeling about such a march and protest?

  6. Colonel Muller was a ranking Wehrmacht officer who also served in the underground, yet he refused to abjure his German status. He was an active part of the German oppression. What are your feelings about him?

  7. Why do you think that Lena kept her secret for so many years?

  8. There has always been quite a discussion and study about religion in the camps. How is it possible to believe in God under those circumstances? Yet Yossi and Chaya held on to their strong beliefs; Lena's beliefs were not so clear and were often contradictory. What are your thoughts on the subject of God and suffering?

  9. Poland had changed after the war. Why did David and Lena decide they could no longer live in Chrzanów?

10. Before Lena (and the survivor who inspired this story) could leave Chrzanów and Poland behind her, she had to go to Auschwitz so that she could see it through “liberated eyes.” What do you suppose she saw?

 

H
OW THE
S
TORY OF
K
AROLINA'S
T
WINS
F
OUND
M
E

by
Ron Balson

I was inspired to write
Karolina's Twins
by a remarkable and courageous woman named Fay.

While on tour supporting
Once We Were Brothers
in 2012, a woman called me and introduced herself. “I am a survivor,” she said, “and I've read many books on the Holocaust. Your book got it just right. I thought I was reading about my family.” I asked her to lunch and we found a nearby cafe where, over a sandwich (for me) and a salad (for her) and many cups of coffee, she told me her story.

When the Nazis occupied Fay's town, Fay's father made arrangements for Fay to stay with a farm family and money was sewn into her clothing. She was later arrested by the SS when she left the farm and was forced to sew uniforms at the Shop, sent to Gross-Rosen Concentration Camp when the Shop closed, and was arrested and sent to Auschwitz when she tried to buy a chicken. Fay luckily escaped while on the Auschwitz death march.