Title: Men du kom ikke tilbage
Author: Marceline Loridan-Ivens
First published January 1, 2015
92 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9788763842631
Rating: 4.27
Overview
Marceline was only 15 when she was sent to Birkenau, while her father was sent to Auschwitz. She survived, but he did not.
Now at 87 years old, she has written a powerful memoir in the form of a letter to her father. With exceptional clarity, she recalls the horrors they endured, the gas chambers, the inevitable brutalization, but also her father’s unwavering love that inspired her to keep going.
In “Men du kom ikke tilbage,” Marceline writes about the challenges of returning to the world after the war, living in a society that refuses to listen to her story and engaging in causes that are bigger than herself. She also writes about the resurgence of antisemitism in Europe, a fear that looms over her and the world she lives in.
This memoir is a poignant and timely reminder of the importance of remembering the past and fighting against hatred and bigotry.
About the Author
Marceline Loridan-Ivens, a renowned writer and film director, was once married to Joris Ivens. In her poignant memoir, titled “But You Did Not Come Back,” she recounts her harrowing experiences as a prisoner in Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Loridan-Ivens’ account is a powerful testimony to the atrocities of the Holocaust, and a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable horror.
Editoral Review
Marceline Loridan-Ivens’ Men du kom ikke tilbage is a haunting memoir about her experience as a Holocaust survivor. Originally published in French in 2015, this English translation provides a poignant account of wartime brutality and resilience.
Loridan-Ivens was only 15 when she was deported to Auschwitz with her father. Though she survived the death camp, her father did not.
With vivid storytelling, the author recounts her family’s experience of persecution by the Nazis and her eventual return to France after liberation. Loridan-Ivens’ writing style is gripping and eloquent, making it difficult to put the book down.
Her memoir is a testament to the human spirit, and her accounts of the horrors she witnessed are both heartbreaking and uplifting. The author’s intimate narrative of survival and coping with grief gives readers a detailed glimpse into what it was like to live through unimaginable conditions in Auschwitz.
The narrative is one of the most through-provoking, hair-raising and emotional I have ever read. The author’s reflections on life in the aftermath of the Holocaust are some of the most memorable aspects of the book.
Loridan-Ivens grapples with the profound loss of a parent, as well as the exhaustion of starting life anew in the postwar era. Her prose conveys the weight of living with trauma and the importance of bearing witness to historical atrocities.
Men du kom ikke tilbage has great significance in contemporary times. The book is not only a memoir, but a warning of what can happen when a society allows bigotry and intolerance to go unchecked.
Loridan-Ivens reminds readers how easily political propaganda can be used to demonize a particular race or religion, and how that kind of demonization can lead to unimaginable atrocities.
In terms of its literary value, the book is exceptional.
Though it is difficult for any writer to breathe new life into a memoir genre, the author does it with a flourish. The writing is clear and concise, and the pacing is well-managed, shifting from calm and reflective moments to dramatic, suspenseful scenes.
The author’s insights into the experience of Holocaust survivors are both intimate and universal, making the book genuinely revelatory. Perhaps one of the book’s only flaws is its brevity.
Despite its rich content and powerful message, Men du kom ikke tilbage is a slim volume. Readers may find themselves wanting more of Loridan-Ivens’ prose after they have finished the book, which sadly ends all too soon.
That being said, any reader with an interest in history or memoir literature should read this book. It is a triumph of storytelling and a sobering reminder of the human capacity for both cruelty and kindness.
I give this memoir a full five stars, and I can guarantee that reading this memoir will be an unforgettable experience.
