A special talk on the history of the Library and its work by our Archivist, Howard Falksohn, followed by a tour of the Library's collections. For many, this will be the last opportunity to see the Library in its current home, before our move to new premises in Spring 2011.
at The Wiener Library, 4 Devonshire Street, London W1W 5BH
After the death of his 85 year old German grandfather, Martin Davidson, a film maker and commissioning editor at the BBC, discovered that he had been an officer in the SS. After 12 years of being unable to confront this past, Davidson decided to find out as much as he could. The result is his new book ‘The Perfect Nazi’, just published by Viking. The book summarises the results of 3 years of research, and 20 years of meditating on the 20th century’s darkest chapter. In this lecture, Davidson explores some of the issues he addresses in the book: Who was this German grandfather? Why had Hitler appeared to have spoken so loudly to him, from such an early age? And why had he never, ever appeared sorry?
Admission is free, but please email info@wienerlibrary.co.uk or call 020 7636 7247 to reserve a place. To ensure you get a seat on the night, please make sure you arrive at the Library at least ten minutes before the lecture is due to start. After this point, we will consider allocating any empty seats to guests on standby, so that places do not go unused.
Copies of ‘The Perfect Nazi’ will be available to purchase at the lecture.
On 28 October 2010, the Wiener Library will be hosting a talk on the life and art of Holocaust survivor Joseph Bau (1920-2002) by his daughter, along with a wine reception and opportunity to view his artwork.
During his incarceration in Plaszów concentration camp, Bau secretly married another inmate - a scene featured in the film Schindler's List. He also forged documents and identity papers for 400 people who managed to escape from the camp. After the war, Bau graduated from the University of Plastic Arts in Kraków and later opened his own studio in Tel-Aviv. He authored and illustrated a number of books, including Dear God! Have You Ever Gone Hungry?
The event has been organised in conjunction with the Human Rights Consortium at the School of Advanced Study (University of London), as part of its closing conference for the Mellon Sawyer Seminar series "Fratricide and Fraternité: Understanding and Repairing Neighbourly Atrocity." The conference, which runs 28-29 October, brings together scholars, practitioners and artists to discuss justice, memory, and reconciliation after mass atrocity.
Admission is free, and we look forward to welcoming you to this special event. For anyone unable to attend the evening viewing, the artwork will remain on display at the Library on Friday 29 October from 10am to 5pm.
Andreas Wesemann brings the launch of his new English language edition of Leopold Schwarzschild's writings to the Library. Leopold Schwarzschild was the unconventional editor of the liberal magazine 'Das Tage-Buch'. He became famous in the years of the Weimar Republic for his farsighted political analyses and critique of the rising Nazi Party - a critique he was forced to pursue in exile when his prophecies of totalitarian takeover proved all too real. This is the first time Schwarzschild's campaigning journalism has appeared in English.
at The Wiener Library, 4 Devonshire Street, London W1W 5BH
Admission is free but spaces are limited. To reserve a place, please email info@wienerlibrary.co.uk or call 020 7636 7247. To ensure you get a seat on the night, please make sure you arrive at the Library at least ten minutes before the lecture is due to start. After this point, we will consider allocating any empty seats to guests on standby, so that places do not go unused.