Hans Georg-Behr's remarkable account of a childhood spent in Nazi Austria is a powerful indictment of the toll that war takes on children, whichever side they find themselves on. To a five-year-old boy, having a high-ranking Nazi for a father means the horror of having his chin pinched by Goering, playing doctors and nurses with Goebbels' daughters, and on one occasion being taken to a grand reception to meet the Fuhrer himself. It also means trying to come to terms with his bizarre family - his kindly, liberal grandparents whose estate provides wartime refuge for all manner of unlikely visitors; his cold-hearted mother, once a famous opera singer, now reduced to running an inn; and his older brother, who struts around in his Hitler Youth uniform, shooting squirrels and practising runic writing, convinced of imminent Nazi victory. When that victory does not come, all the Nazi flags in the house are hastily cut up to make new Austrian ones and the swastikas are turned into shoe-cleaning rags, but Behr shows that the legacy of war is not so easily discarded.

An account of the author's childhood spent in Nazi Austria and an indictment of the toll that war takes on children, whichever side they find themselves on.

About the Author
Hans-Georg Behr was born in Vienna in 1937. He studied medicine, clinical psychology and linguistics, and has written for Die Zeit and Der Stern among other publications. He divides his time between Hamburg and Vienna.

Reviews
A sophisticated literary performance, with a war memoir only at its core ... a fascinating book * Literary Review *
[An] extraordinary memoir ... [Behr] feels his way through the pitfalls of childhood while the world of his aristocratic Nazi family falls apart * Scotsman *
This is a definite page-turner that will appeal to a wide * Big Issue *
A daring literary achievement... Honest, ironic and very moving, Hans-Georg Behr goes to the heart of moral chaos with a great eye for the truth -- Hugo Hamilton
Haunting to read * Good Book Guide *



Book Information
ISBN 9781862078666
Author Hans-Georg Behr
Format Paperback
Page Count 300
Imprint Granta Books
Publisher Granta Books
Weight(grams) 239g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 21mm