Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases. Thomas harding he cofounded a television station in oxford, and for many years was an awardwinning publisher of a newspaper in west virginia. British journalist thomas hardings new book, hanns and rudolf, reads like a combination of a documentary and a suspense story. Alexanders father, alfred, a recipient of the iron cross first class, was adamant that the camaraderie of german. The last section of hardings book does indeed read like a gripping thriller, no less so because we know how the pursuit of hoss is destined to. Hanns and rudolf by thomas harding penguin books australia. The german jew and the hunt for the kommandant of auschwitz by harding, thomas isbn.
Thomas is a fulltime writer, author of a muchpraised book of nonfiction, hanns and rudolf. Thomas hardings hanns and rudolf not only declines to forget but challenges and defies the empty sententiousness characteristic of those who privately admit to being tired of hearing about the holocaust. In 20, journalist and biographer harding hanns and rudolf. He worked in television and journalism before becoming an author. Mar 15, 2014 the story is one that was never fully told by the men at its heart. In this electrifying account of how a morally driven british jewish soldier pursues and captures and brings to trial the turntail. Moving from the middleeastern campaigns of the first world war to bohemian berlin in the 1920s, to the horror of the concentration camps and the trials in belsen and nuremberg, hanns and rudolf tells the story of two german men whose lives. Thomas harding is the great nephew of lieutenant hanns alexander, who was part of the first british war crimes investigation team in the aftermath of world war ii. Nov 27, 20 thomas hardings uncle hanns was the man who tracked down and arrested rudolf hoss. The true story of the german jew who tracked down and caught the. How a german jew caught the kommandant of auschwitz the forward. This nonfiction account of two men whose lives converge, told through the eyes of the author, whose uncle was lieutenant hanns alexander. Thomas harding audio books, best sellers, author bio.
Nov 23, 20 british journalist thomas hardings new book, hanns and rudolf, reads like a combination of a documentary and a suspense story. Jun 28, 2014 thomas is a fulltime writer, author of a muchpraised book of nonfiction, hanns and rudolf. Hanns and rudolf goodreads meet your next favorite book. Thomas harding is a former documentary filmmaker and journalist who has written for the financial times and the guardian, among other publications. The german jew and the hunt for the kommandant of auschwitz 20 was a national bestseller in the uk, italy and israel. The story is one that was never fully told by the men at its heart. The true story of the german jew who tracked down and caught the kommandant of auschwitz simon and schuster, 20. Sep 29, 20 christian niedan of the the jewish channel sat down with author thomas harding to discuss his new book hanns and rudolf. The true story of the german jew who tracked down and caught the kommandant of auschwitz, 20 traveled to the lakeside vacation home outside berlin where his grandmother had spent a bucolic childhood.
The story of how a german jew hunted down the kommandant of auschwitz makes for thrilling and disturbing reading. Jay winik, author of april 1865 and the great upheaval. Chosen as the book of the year by the sunday times, times, telegraph, news statesman, observer and guardian. Thomas hardings hanns and rudolf not only declines to forget, but challenges and defies the empty sententiousness characteristic of those who privately admit to being tired of hearing about the holocaust. Thomas harding narrates, in careful, understated prose, the story of how his great uncle hanns alexander hunted down the man who vaingloriously identified himself as the worlds greatest destroyer. Hanns alexander was the son of a wealthy german family who fled berlin for london in the 1930s. A gripping thriller, an unspeakable crime, an essential history. Thomas hardings hanns and rudolf tells the story of hanns alexander, a germanjewish refugee who became one of the first nazi hunters after the war. Hanns and rudolf, thomas hardings gripping account of how his greatuncle. Thomas harding was at his greatuncles funeral in 2006 when he found out that the deceased, hanns alexander, had hunted down and captured the kommandant of auschwitz, rudolf hoss, shortly. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
The true story of the german jew who tracked down and caught the kommandant of auschwitz, by thomas harding, is a brilliantly written and wellresearched book this nonfiction account of two men whose lives converge, told through the eyes of the author, thomas harding, whose greatuncle was lieutenant hanns alexander. Hanns and rudolf thomas harding 9780434022366 netgalley. The german jew and the hunt for the kommandant of auschwitz by thomas harding william heinemann. Europe in the aftermath of world war ii thomas harding has written a book of two intersecting lives. Alexanders biggest scalp, rudolf hoss, kommandant of auschwitz, was tried, found guilty and hanged in poland in 1947.
Our cheap used books come with free delivery in australia. Jay winik in this electrifying account, thomas harding commemorates and, for the tired, revivifies a ringing biblical injunction. In hanns and rudolf thomas harding reveals for the very first time the full, exhilarating account of hoss capture, and of two lives that diverged, and intersected, in an astonishing way. The true story of the german jew who tracked down and caught the kommandant of auschwitz by. This highlyreadable and interesting book by thomas harding relates the interesting parallel stories of hanns alexander and rudolf hoss. Lets hope that hardings publishers will give him the opportunity to iron out the glitches so that the book is a better tribute to the great. Written with the verve of a writer and the sure touch of an historian, thomas hardings hanns and rudolf is a fascinating, fresh, and compelling work of history. Hanns and rudolf, thomas hardings gripping account of. Pdf hanns and rudolf download full pdf book download. Hanns and rudolf the true story of the german jew who tracked down and caught the kommandant of auschwitz by. Jul 20, 2014 like hardings thoughts, the book flickers between the accident and its aftermath and memories of his sons life. Thomas harding is an author and journalist who has written for the financial times, the sunday times, the washington post, and the guardian, among other publications. Rudolf hoess, the bavarianborn kommandant of auschwitz.
He is also the author of the sunday times bestseller hanns and rudolf. John le carre written with the verve of a writer and the sure touch of a historian, thomas hardings hanns and rudolf is a fascinating, fresh, and compelling work of history. Rudolf hoss was kommandant of the auschwitz extermination camp. Harding was educated at westminster school in london and then studied anthropology and political science at corpus christi college, cambridge. How a german jew caught the kommandant of auschwitz the. The german jew and the hunt for the kommandant of auschwitz. Hanns and rudolf reveals the untold story of hanns alexander, the man who brought a mastermind of the final solution to justice it reveals, for the very first time, the full, riveting. Harding balances with scrupulous care the stories of the pursuer and the pursued. With admirable objectivity strengthened with deep research, thomas hardings hanns and rudolf is the fascinating well told story of the 1946 capture of rudolf hoss, the kommandant of auschwitz by hanns alexander, the authors great uncle, on a small farm near the german danish border. Hanns and rudolf, harding writes in the prologue to his book hanns and rudolf.
Keith lowe written with the verve of a writer and the sure touch of an historian, thomas hardings hanns and rudolf is a fascinating, fresh, and compelling work of history. Jay winik, new york times bestselling author of april 1865. Hanns and rudolf is a dual biography of hanns alexander and rudolf hoss by the britishamerican journalist thomas harding in the aftermath of the second world war, the first british war crimes investigation team is assembled to hunt down the senior nazi officials responsible for the greatest atrocities the world has ever seen. Rudolf hoss, the bavarianborn kommandant of auschwitz. The german jew and the hunt for the kommandant of auschwitz thomas harding heinemann, pp. The author only learned about his greatuncle hanns wartime record when attending his funeral in 2006. Thomas hardings account of these two extraordinary men goes straight to the dark heart of nazi germany. The true story of the german jew who tracked down and caught the kommandant of auschwitz, by thomas harding, is a brilliantly written and wellresearched book. The inhabitants of a summer house reveal germanys political, economic, and social history. The german jew and the hunt for the kommandant of auschwitz 20 was a national bestseller in the uk, italy and israel and was chosen as a book of the year for 20 by the times, the sunday times, the guardian, the observer, the daily telegraph and the new statesman. One of the lead investigators is lieutenant hanns alexander, a. Like hardings thoughts, the book flickers between the accident and its aftermath and memories of his sons life. Only at his great uncles funeral in 2006 did thomas harding discover that hanns alexander, whose jewish family fled to britain from nazi germany in the 1930s, hunted down and captured rudolf hoss, the ruthless commandant of auschwitz, at the end of world war two. Alexander was a german jew serving in the british army and rudolf hoss, the commandant of auschwitz, was his most elusive t.
1308 1023 920 1149 1457 1113 1246 64 77 1120 511 1395 591 276 331 1063 555 1186 405 226 1424 1036 198 171 1384 1439 610 233 1282 194