Every Day Lasts a Year
A Jewish Family's Correspondence from Poland

Author Richard S. Hollander discovered letters from his family, written from Poland, between 1939 and 1942, that depict life under the most extraordinary pain and stress.

Christopher R. Browning (Edited by), Richard S. Hollander (Edited by), Nechama Tec (Edited by)

9780521882743, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 October 2007

308 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.2 cm, 0.558 kg

'… this book achieves the elusive combination of being of value to experts in the field and of interest to a wider public … it also remains highly relevant to today's world.' Keith Stuart Parkes, Polish-Studies.Interdisciplinary (www.pol-int.org)

Author Richard S. Hollander was devastated when his parents were killed in an automobile accident in 1986. While rummaging through their attic, he discovered letters from a family he never knew - his father's mother, three sisters, and their husbands and children. The letters, neatly stacked in a briefcase, were written from Krakow, Poland, between 1939 and 1942. They depict day-to-day life under the most extraordinary pain and stress. At the same time, Richard's father, Joseph Hollander, was fighting the United States government to avoid deportation and death. Richard was astounded to learn that his father saved the lives of many Polish Jews, but - despite heroic efforts - could not save his family.

Part I. Joseph's Story: Joseph Richard S. Hollander
Part II. Cracow: The fate of the Jews of Cracow under Nazi occupation Christopher R. Browning
Through the eyes of the oppressed Nechama Tec
Part III. The Letters: 1. Letters without reply: November 1939-May 1940
2. Separation anxiety: May-August 1940
3. Exit strategy: September-December 1940
4. Familial love, penned: January-December 1941
Index.

Subject Areas: 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW]