Description
The Long Night' is Ernst Israel Bornstein s firsthand account of what he witnessed in seven concentration camps. Written with remarkable insight and raw emotion, 'The Long Night' paints a portrait of human psychology in the darkest of times. Bornstein tells the stories of those who did all they could do to withstand physical and psychological torture, starvation, and sickness, and openly describes those who were forced to inflict suffering on others. The narrative is simple, yet profound; unbridled, honest, and dignified. 'The Long Night is the extraordinary tale of Ernst Israel Bornstein's tortuous passage through a number of Nazi camps. What he endured remind us that there were many different experiences of the camps and that there is no single Holocaust narrative. Most of the camps to which Dr Bornstein was sent remain little known today, yet they remind us of just how widespread, vast and destructive the brutal camp system was.'
- Dan Stone: Professor of Modern History, Royal Holloway, University of London Co-Editor, Journal of Genocide Research: Co-Editor, Patterns of Prejudice 'It is one of the most fascinating testimonies I have come across.' - Ruth-Anne Lenga: Head of Academic Programmes, Centre for Holocaust Education, Institute of Education University of London 'I read Dr Bornstein's book over two days in preparation for an interview with his family and was transported entirely into the horrors that he experienced, but also into the inner worlds of his resilience and soulful humanity. The narrative is written with such accessible directness, shattering in its detail, but also remarkable in its power to convey the friendships and many kindnesses that helped Dr Bornstein to survive against seemingly insurmountable odds against a backdrop coloured by the painful grinding daily detail of what really happened to a lost generation. The precision detail of his recollection is astounding and his early death a tragedy, but his legac
y lives on in the determination his now grown-up children have to preserve and share a narrative that deserves the widest possible audience. The translation by his eldest daughter - a labour of love that took her three years - is elegant, nuanced and invisible; it is the finest tribute to a remarkable man. It has been a privilege.' - Jane Warren, Senior Feature Writer, Daily Express 'It's a rare and honest eyewitness account of the Holocaust.' - Graham Satchell, BBC Reporter