| Synopsis: |
The Nazis came late to Hungary because, until early 1944, Germany and Hungary were allies. But when they did arrive, their orders were to put the ? Final Solution" into effect with deliberate speed. Soros, a Jewish lawyer in Budapest, secured fake Christian identities for himself, his wife, and his two sons following the German invasion of Hungary on March 19, 1944. In a narrative reminiscent of the great Primo Levi, Soros recounts his experiences with a beguiling humor, deep humanity, and a wisdom that is humbling. Superbly translated by Humphrey Tonkin, Masquerade is a unique account of how one man managed not only to survive but to retain his integrity, compassion, family unity, and humor by ? dancing around death." Like Klemperer's Diary of the Nazi Years, this very personal, low-key testament of the Holocaust is a gripping depiction of ? normal" daily life under the Nazis? told by a man who triumphed by leading an ordinary life under extraordinary and terrifying circumstances. |