Prague in Danger: The Years of German Occupation, 1939-45: Memories and History, Terror and Resistance, Theater and Jazz, Film and Poetr

This is quite an unique study of the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia in general, and Prague in particular, in that the author, a renown Yale professor of Germanic studies, lived through the events he describes as a child and young man. For those who have visited Prague, a truly remarkable city, it is nothing short of a miracle that so much of its pre-war architecture has survived until today in the Czech Republic. One bonus of the book is the author fills us in on the combined Czech-Jewish-German dimensions of the pre-way city [including Kafka of course]. Fortunately, the Allies did little damage to Prague, for it never was a central target. So much of the terrain the author describes still remains. So the book proceeds on several tracks simultaneously. The primary focus are the historical events stemming from the Munich fiasco and the return of the Sudenten Germans to Germany, and the eventual "agreement" whereby the entire country became a German protectorate in 1939. In this regard, the author discusses resistance groups, anti-Jewish laws that were imposed, the German effort to subplant Czech cultural life, Reinhard Heydrich during his period as Protector until he was killed by British commandos (leading to the horrendous destruction of Lidice), Heyrich's successor Karl H. Frank, and the Prague uprisings at the end of the war and the displacement of the German authorities. In addition, the author educates us about one of the most fascinating places I visited in the Czech Republic, the former concentration camp at Terezin, where he lost his mother and several of his relatives were imprisoned. We hear relatively little about these historical episodes, and this important book helps restore the balance. The other track, implemented through discrete sections inserted into the main text, is the author's own life and experiences. The reader really can begin to understand the effectiveness of German control of the country during this period from his own experiences. It is somewhat chilling stuff to read. The author also has first-hand experience with the de-Germanization retributory actions taken after the war and how one unfortunate result was to destroy much of Prague's important German language culture and university education. On a happier note, the author also recounts Prague jazz and movies during the war; interestingly, Goebbels in 1944 tried to shift most German film production to Prague due to the damage done to UFA by Allied bombing. So, there is much important central European history included in the book. The author also has contributed an excellent 19 page bibliography, though most sources (as is to be expected) are in German and Czech, as well as an extensive index. To understand today we must understand the past, as the historians tell us. This excellent book helps us do just that.

A selective history, interwoven with personal reminisces by the author, of a great European city under the thumb of the Nazis. Highly recommended. Peter Demetz is both a cultural scholar and a witness. His compelling personal story, as a youthful civilian in and around wartime Prague, unfolds in scattered places throughout this book in beautiful, truthful, and understated prose.