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April in Stein
April in Stein
April in Stein
It was the
end of the war, April the 6th, 1945. Peace in Europe was
beginning to happen. And, in the small Austrian town of Stein the
prison doors were opened as wide as could be and the prisoners
walked free. And, for these mostly political prisoners,
the long waiting was over. They were on their way home. But, many never made it to the end of the street. Instead, most were shot down by the SS and others. A massacre on an unprecedented
scale! And, this terrible event has remained, by-and-large,
a white spot on the historical map of the past. But, now things are
different. A brand new monument to this terrible event has now been
unveiled. Not a monument of stone, but a book. And,
its author – the Austrian historian Robert Streibel.
And, this
book has been a long time in coming. In the early 1980s, Robert
Streibel started on a series of interviews with eyewitnesses
to this terrible event. And, Robert Streibel not only spoke to
survivors, but others as well. And, April in Stein was the result of
these talks.
But,
historical events are as they are because of interpretation. And,
this is Robert Streibel's strength. In his own very
skilful manner, Robert Streibel has cleverly combined hard facts and
illustrative fiction in a collection of powerful and deep moving
stories. And, all on a personal level. These are pictures of hope,
frustration and fear, and of course family tragedy. And, like all
monuments to the terrors of the past, April in Stein has no decisive
conclusion. It leaves us, instead, with not only the question of
why, but also the awareness – or – if you prefer -
a reminder of the atrocities of man!
This book is
a must! It's no only a brilliant bridge from the past to the
present, but a necessary lesson for the future as well. And, this is
the message of April in Stein. We do have a chance. We have to look
back to the past to correct our thinking of now. But, why the
massacre in Stein? Can anyone explain it? The answer is no! But,
the biggest question of all, – Why war? Will never be answered,
but, April in Stein gives us clues.
A very good
book – Thank you Robert Streibel!
Vocabulary
atrocities
- Gräueltaten
awareness -
Bewusstsein
by-and-large – im
Großen und Ganzen
decisive - entscheidend
eyewitnesses – Zeitzeuge
political prisoners Politishe
Häftlingen
savagely - gewaltig
strength - Stärke
unprecedented - beispiellos
unveiled – enthult
.
April
in Stein is in German – Author Robert Streibel.
Residenzverlag
- ISBN – 978 3 7017 1649 4
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