Memoirs
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Josef Pikl: Memoirs of a South-Bohemian Resistance Fighter
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This book authentically depicts the experiences of a member of south Bohemia’s anti-German resistance within the system of Nazi concentration camps. In this work, historically known facts are fleshed out with the personal testimony of a man who taught at the village school in Vyskytná na Pelhřimovsku as a civilian, and who took part in anti-occupation activities in the region during the summer of 1939. Besides providing insights into life in Terezín’s “Small Fortress,” the publication subsequently illustrates how prison self-management worked in Buchenwald. It also describes the conditions that prevailed in the Buchenwald sub-camp known as “Laura,” which was a notorious secret factory for the production of Hitler’s “miraculous” V-2 rockets. Through the twists and turns of an interned teacher’s fate, readers are presented with crucial, often neglected, historical facts. This testimony helps clarify these details whilst also underlining their importance. The value of these memoirs lies in the fact that they also cover “peaceful” times. Josef Pikl never encountered communist repression in its harshest forms. Instead, he was gradually ground down by the deceptions, treachery and persecution of government officials. Pikl usually had plenty to say about these people’s behaviour during the War, which was far-removed from their scramble for prestige and status after it ended. Consequently, his account of the years 1939-1975 comprises the invaluable story of a “little” Czech person whose inner greatness actually transcended both of the tyrannies that swept through his country. The book is supplemented with commentaries by historians from the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and the Terezín Memorial. Academia, ÚSTR, Prague 2009, 1st edition, hardcover, 488 pages, ISBN 978-80-200-1813-7 (Academia), ISBN 978-80-87211-10-6 (ÚSTR) This publication is only available in Czech. |