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I read Edgar Hilsenrath "Nacht" ("Night") when I was 14. It's about a 15 year old boy (Hilsenrath's alter ego) living in a Rumanian ghetto. People did unspeakable things to survive and so does the boy.
I never forgot this book. When my literary group wanted to read it about a decade ago (I am 56 now, so I would have been in my mid-40s) I wasn't able to participate. The thought of re-living all the horrors was still anbearable. And I only read about it in a book...
Yet, Hilsenrath who had lived and endured all of it was said to be a shy, soft spoken, friendly man. I wonder how he did this.
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