Kápové z Osvětimi – Liblau Charles (2021)

Charles Liblau knew the Nazi camps well - Auschwitz, Březinka, Mauthausen, Melk, Ebensee, because he spent more than three years in them, until liberation. He describes what he experienced, saw, overheard, remembered, what deeply affected him and remained in his heart and mind. There is no hatred, desire for revenge, or retaliation in his words, only ordinary human pain and indignation at the humiliation of man. "These memories evoke disgust in me - he confesses - I wrote them down to show how one human behaved towards another." He describes events that freeze the blood in one's veins without emotion, as if he were their commentator and not a direct participant. He is very lucky. He escapes from almost hopeless situations. Hungry, dirty, frightened, and ragged, yet he is able to perceive the misery and suffering of others. His narrative about camp life through the attitudes and behaviors of those who directly commanded the prisoners sheds clear light on the mechanism of the Nazi machine. He presents a kapo from Auschwitz as objectively as possible, even trying to empathize with some, as they were caught in a horrifying trap. This author's deep humanistic sensitivity proves that even in the inhuman conditions of Auschwitz and Březinka, one could retain one's own face,…