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Into That Darkness
Into That Darkness
Oct 6, 2024 7:26 PM

Author:Gitta Sereny

Into That Darkness

The biography of Franz Stangl, commandant of the Treblinka extermination camp - a classic and utterly compelling study of evil

Only four men commanded Nazi extermination (as opposed to concentration) camps. Franz Stangl was one of the. Gitta Sereny's investigation of this man's mind, and of the influences which shaped him, has become a classic. Stangl commanded Treblinka and was found guilty of co-responsibility for the slaughter there of at least 900, 000 people. Sereny, after weeks of talk with him and months of further research, shows us this man as he saw himself, and 'as he was seen by many others, including his wife.

To horrify is not Sereny's aim, though horror is inevitable. She is seeking an answer to the question which beggars reason: How were human beings turned into instruments of such overwhelming evil?

Gitta Sereny is of Hungarian-Austrian extraction and is trilingual in English, French and German. During the Second World War she became a social worker, caring for war-damaged children in France. She gave hundreds of lectures in schools and colleges in America and, when the war ended, she worked as a Child Welfare Officer in UNRRA displaced persons' camps in Germany. In 1949 she married the American Vogue photographer Don Honeyman and settled in London, where they brought up a son and a daughter and where she began her career as a journalist.

Her journalistic work was of great variety but focussed particularly on the Third Reich and troubled children. She wrote mainly for the Daily Telegraph Magazine, the Sunday Times, The Times, the Independent and the Independent on Sunday Review. She also contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines around the world.

Her books include: The Medallion, a novel; The Invisible Children, on child prostitution; Into That Darkness; and a biographical examination of Albert Speer. Gitta Sereny died in June 2012

Reviews

An epic examination of a Nazi war criminal

—— Guardian

The most gripping and illuminating account of Nazi genocide that I have read, shedding light, as she intended, on "a whole dimension of reactions and behaviour we have never yet understood"

—— Stephen Vizinczey , Sunday Telegraph

She takes us sharply and deeply into the hierarchy of the death camps; the methods used; the experiences of the very few survivors, both inmates and guards

—— Philip Toynbee , Observer

It is no exaggeration to call it a masterpiece

—— Michael Hilton , Daily Telegraph

Morrison’s fierce yearning for literature to be a more true and just realm over time, is a gift… [Mouth Full of Blood] is startling in its relevance to the conflicts and challenges of the present moment. In a time of turmoil and political greed, her writings have the power to bring, not a false comfort, but the hard-won belief that words can reshape the world. Toni Morrison’s own words certainly have

—— Nilanjana Roy , Financial Times

Intensely thought-provoking essays exploring themes of race, gender and globalisation… [Morrison’s] writing. Is just. Unparalleled, truly unparalleled… If anyone can write about this, it's Toni Morrison. It's powerful stuff. As you read it you find yourself circling every second sentence – everything is quotable. She truly is a master of language

—— Culture Calling

Brace yourself for writing that is confrontational, unforgettable and exquisite… Not one word is either trivial or banal. Morrison’s thinking is as arresting and uncompromising as her politics… she has that unique and powerful quality, authority

—— Patricia Duncker , Tablet

A startlingly relevant collection that speaks to now

—— Carl Wilkinson , Financial Times

Morrison’s words possess a contemporary resonance, delivering unwavering truths with an intelligent rage that is almost equal to her hope

—— Arifa Akbar , Guardian

Brilliant . . . In this revolutionary and revelatory book, James Poskett not only gives us a truly worldwide history of science, but explains how international connections have stimulated scientific advances through time

—— Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors

Science's internationalism is well recognized. But scientists tend to regard it as a recent phenomenon that arose from the 'big science' of the twentieth century, rather than one with a history of more than 500 years going back to the Islamic science that inspired astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, and beyond, observes historian James Poskett. His revisionary "global history" boldly rebuts this

—— Andrew Robinson , Nature

Poskett's book is invaluable, an important and timely reminder that the world we live in has never been small or unknown, but that sharing knowledge, as well as credit, and working together, is the key to a better future

—— Matt Lewis , History Hit

From palatial Aztec botanic gardens to Qing Dynasty evolutionary theories, Horizons upends traditional accounts of the history of science, showing how curiosity and intellectual exploration was, and is, a global phenomenon

—— Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred

Remarkable. Challenges almost everything we know about science in the West

—— Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 Maps

This perspective-shattering book challenges our Eurocentric narrative by spotlighting the work of historically neglected scientists

—— Caroline Sanderson , The Bookseller, 'Editor's Choice'

A useful corrective that brings us closer to a more accurate history of Western science - one which recognises Europe, not as exceptional, but as learning from the world

—— Angela Saini, author of Superior

The righting of the historical record makes Horizons a deeply satisfying read. We learn about a fascinating group of people engaged in scientific inquiry all over the world. Even more satisfyingly, Horizons demonstrates that the most famous scientists - Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein among them - couldn't have made their discoveries without the help of their global contacts

—— Valerie Hansen, author of The Year 1000

A provocative examination of major contributions to science made outside Europe and the USA, from ancient to modern times, explained in relation to global historical events. I particularly enjoyed the stories of individuals whose work tends to be omitted from standard histories of science

—— Ian Stewart, author of Significant Figures

A wonderful, timely reminder that scientific advancement is, and has always been, a global endeavour

—— Patrick Roberts, author of Jungle

This is the kind of history we need: it opens our eyes to the ways in which what we know today has been uncovered thanks to a worldwide team effort

—— Michael Scott, author of Ancient Worlds

An important milestone

—— British Journal for the History of Science, on Materials of the Mind

The freshest history of the strangest science

—— Alison Bashford, author of Global Population, on Materials of the Mind

Ambitious, riveting, Poskett tracks the global in so many senses . . . vital reading on some of the most urgent concerns facing the world history of science

—— Sujit Sivasundaram, University of Cambridge, on Materials of the Mind

Terrific . . . [Makes] a substantial contribution to understanding the universalizing properties of science and technology in history

—— Janet Browne, Harvard University, on Materials of the Mind

Horizons forces me to think outside my Eurocentric box and puts science at the centre of world history

—— David Reynolds , New Statesman, Books of the Year 2022

[Our Man is] heartfelt, virtuosic and quietly thoughtful at the same time

—— Daily Telegraph

Isabel Wilkerson's book is a masterful narrative of the rich wisdom and deep courage of a great people. Don't miss it!

—— Cornel West

A landmark piece of non-fiction

—— The New York Times

A briliant and stirring epic

—— Wall Street Journal

The mass migration of African Americans out of the US south forever changed the country's cultural fabric - and Wilkerson's history of this period is full of sacrifice and hope ...a long overdue account

—— Guardian

A deeply affecting, finely crafted and heroic book. . . .Wilkerson has taken on one of the most important demographic upheavals of the past century and told it through the lives of three people ... lyrical and tragic

—— Jill Lepore , New Yorker
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