Wolf Trapped: The Life and Death of a Young Artist in Hitler's Europe

Wolf Trapped: The Life and Death of a Young Artist in Hitler's Europe is the true story of Wolfgang Hamburger, a brilliant artist and cartoonist prodigy trapped in Europe during the advance of the Nazis. He was sent to a detention camp in 1939, and though released in 1940, he had to confront a terrible decision with his beloved wife - her failing health all but guaranteed that she would not survive escape from the relentless Nazi advance, no matter where they tried to go. Author Robert Follett relates Wolf's sad tale as told by Wolf's brother, Peter Natan, and illustrated by Wolf's own art and cartoons. A tragic story of genius cut short, and a microcosm of the waste, murder, and inhumanity perpetrated by the Holocaust.

This "portrait of the artist as a boy and young man" is the true story of a Jewish prodigy in pre-World War II Germany. Wolf began drawing as a very young child. Political cartoons were one of his specialties, even while he was still a teenager. When Hitler came to power, his comfortable family left Berlin for Palestine, where members of the family already lived. Wolf found it impossible to stay there. He went to Paris, against his family's wishes and advice, where the excitement of the art world was rewarding for him. He was able to use his political cartoons against the Spanish Civil War, and later against Hitler's regime. Wolf, a stateless French Jew (his German passport had expired) and his sick wife, were faced with a terrible decision in 1940, as the Germans prepared to invade France. Robert Follett, an author and friend of Wolf's younger brother, Natan, wrote this book in collaboration with him. It is illustrated with over 200 drawings, paintings, and political cartoons created by Wolf during his short life and collected by his brother. The illustrations lend a special dimension of intimacy to this book. An unusual story of the Holocaust, this book is recommended for students in junior high and high school. It seems that the authors projected it as a book for adults also. For ages 12 and up. Reviewed by Shelly Feit