The Seventh Cross

Anybody who has ever wondered why things happened the way they did in Nazi Germany may find some answers here.In contrast to other writers, screenwriters or film directors who sometimes prefer to dwell on horrific details of crimes committed by a totalitarian regime, Anna Seghers offers an insight into people's lives.This is a portrait of German society of the late 1930s as realistic and convincing as one might dare to hope for. The fact that Anna Seghers was a contemporary distinguishes this book from many other works with similar aspirations. She wrote based on her own experiences, as well as accounts of friends, relatives or fellow exiles, while events similar to the ones narrated actually took place in her home country. (The Seventh Cross was first published in 1942.)Seghers' ability to create believable characters is amazing. She managages to disintegrate the anonymous masses who cheered the Nazi dictators, and shows us THE PEOPLE in its diversity: Individuals with individual fears and hopes and scars from previous fights.I approached this book very reluctantly, bearing in mind its status as standard school lecture (in Germany) and the author's standing as a GDR icon of Socialist literature. Segher's political views however, though clearly noticecable, do not harm the story and in this particular case may even have equiped her with a deeper insight into what really happened.Apart from the book's informative value, the excellent writing style as well as the gripping story make it a great read.

Seven men escape out of a conzentration camp in Nazi-Germany. Their goal now is not to get captured again. Its difficult to trust somebody because peoples true characters appear suddenly. The nazis catch one after the other again, let them nail on trees and torture them in the cruelest mannner. At last there is just one tree left empty. The seventh cross is a fabulous book. It describes in an very vivid and exciting way the situation among the german population at that time. The people midst decides about the lifes of these seven completely different guys. It's not easy to find the way out through the tight net of nazis. Tough situation let peoples true face appear. Danger is everywhere and you can't trust anybody. Faith, hope but also evil and death are reunited in that seventh cross (last tree that is left). The whole story of one man reflects and embodies the grief of a lot of german people. But finally it's just another war. Silence will return. Nobody is able to ! surpress and reign in such an unhuman manner about other people.