The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy) (51 page)

BOOK: The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy)
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Historical Note

 

This book is a work of fiction. All characters apart from actual histor
ical figures, such as Heydrich, Benes, Tizo and Hitler, are the result of my own imagination.

The story – apart from actual historical events, such as the events of WW2 and the Brno Death March – is also not based on the lives of any pa
rticular individuals.

Bombardment, Communist occupation and later 'rewriting' of Slovak history have made research difficult and some 'facts' are hard to prove or to objectify. For example, the exact use of the Presidential Exemption Papers for Jews is a controversial subject and heavily disputed by some historians.

The description of camp life is based on research but the layout and location of refugee camps have been amended to fit the storyline.
I have included a list of recommended further literature; many of these books helped me get a better understanding of the times and make the story as life-like as possible.
In some cases however I had to make educated guesses and took liberties in order to make this a story rather than a painting by numbers, fictionalised re-telling of history.

I hope the resulting compromise will please readers
either in search of entertainment or those hungry for facts.

I apologise
, in advance, for any mistakes and errors that have slipped through the net.

Special Thanks

 

I would like to thank the following people who had a great hand in helping me write this book:

Brenda Whitby for encouraging me to write, Daz Smith for pushing me to get this book published, Bettina Weissensteiner for letting me use her name, and to all the people who read the various drafts and gave me invalu
able feedback: Andrea Steiner, Sal Andrews and Susanne Weigl.

Also thanks to the inspiring figures in my literary life: Madlon V
eronika Koepfler, Alois Pfaller, Dr. Eugen Weigl, Saber of Toppings & Company Book Sellers, Dal Kumar, Gabriele Nowak, Terry Sandwick and many, many more.

Last, but certainly not least, to Deborah Wall and Ryan Cheal for their amazin
g patience and editing skills.

A Short Biography

 

Christoph Fischer was born in Germany in 1970 as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK. He spent many years in London and Brighton before finally settling in Bath, where he is still resident today. ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’ is his first published work. He has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalisation.

For further information you can follow him on

http://www.christophfischerbooks.com

Further Reading

 

Gilad Atzmon
: “The Wandering Who? A Study in Jewish Identity Politics”

Israel Bartal & Antony Polonsky
: “Polin: Studies in Polish Jewry, Vol 12: Focusing on Galicia: Jews, Poles and Ukrainians 1772 – 1918”

Gad Beck
: “An Underground Life: Memoirs of a gay Jew in Nazi Berlin”

W. Michael Blumenthal
: “The Invisible Wall: Germans and Jews: A Personal Exploration”

Gunter Boddecker
: “Die Fluchtlinge: Die Vertreibung der Deutschen im Osten”

Michael Brenner & Derek J. Penslar
: “In Search of Jewish Community: Jewish Identities in Germany and Austria 1918 – 1933”

Ted Falcon & David Blatner
: “Judaism for Dummies”

Joachim Fest
: “Not Me: Memoirs of a German Childhood”

Harriet Pass Freidenreich
: “Jewish Politics in Vienna, 1918 – 1938”

Peter Glotz
: “Die Vertreibung: Bohmen als Lehrstuck”

Vasily Grossman
: “A Writer at War. Vasily Grosman with the Red Army 1941- 1945”

Annette Grossbongardt & Uwe Klussmann
: “Die Deutschen im Osten Europas: Eroberer, Siedler, Vertriebene”

Mary Heimann
: “Czechoslovakia: The State That Failed”

Stanislav J. Kirschbaum
: “A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival”

Hilke Lorenz
: “Heimat aus dem Koffer: Vom Leben nach Flucht und Vertreibung”

Friedrich Reck-Malleczewen
: “Diary of a Man in Despair”

Joseph Roth
: “The Wandering Jews”

Shlomo Sand
: “The Invention of the Jewish People”

Ben Shephard
: “The Long Road Home: The Aftermath of the Second World War”

Gerald Steinacher
: “Nazis on the Run: How Hitler's Henchmen fled Justice”

Frederick Taylor
: “Exorcising Hitler: The Occupation and Denazification of Germany”

Elie Wiesel
: “Night”

BOOK: The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy)
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