Emma Craigie “Chocolate Cake with Hitler”

This is a moving account of the last days in Hitler’s bunker for Helga Goebbels. Those of us who know our 20th century history will perhaps find the first person narrative somewhat ironic. Nevertheless, it works and gives us some closeness to this main character.  

Emma Craigie offers us a very convincing character in Helga. Craigie successfully shows us a child’s point of view. And she does show us, rather than telling us. She achieves this partly through very good use of the senses. We can see, hear, smell and taste the life in the bunker. We watch the big “Uncle Leader” gradually disintegrate.   

Craigie seems to face many of the issues that I face in my project.

She too has had to span a long period of time. She attains this by interspersing the days in the bunker with memories form the past. She spans 1936 to 1945. I go from 1938 to 1947, though I also have flashbacks to 1936 and 1925.

She has also had to make up some characters and make up some of the details of the lives of some of the real people.     

She too has had find out exactly which facts might be verifiable.

She too had some really useful help form some people brave enough to tell their stories.   

I’m intrigued to see that she has also included a glossary.

And is there after all some justice? Does my story have a slightly more upbeat ending? Despite the concern about Clara Lehrs? Maybe, maybe not. Both stories rely somewhat on the reader knowing some of the background.   

Third Revision of Novel

I completed this yesterday.

I’m quite pleased that there are several humorous touches – the nickname that Hani and Christophe invent for Hitler, the fact that that amuses Frau Lehrs, her pretending to be Emil Kühn’s mother, the bickering between Kathe Edler and her friend Eva Kaiser and the mud fight at the farm in Somerset. I have got the bugger / Bagger joke back in.

I’ve cut about a thousand words this time, but probably added in about 1,200. I think when I do some general tightening a little later some more will go. The “show don’t tell” edit usually sorts this out. Sometimes, of course, that can actually make the text a little longer. The overall length is fine, though, and I think it will remain so.

I’ve made the scene with the bombing of Stuttgart more dramatic and I’ve added an extra scene just before the mini-resolution where Renate recovers from her breakdown. A haircut is key!

I’ve also got rid of one of the Wilhelms. There were three altogether – four if you include the name of the school that the German girls used to attend. I’ve changed one of them to a Gerhard.

I’ve made a decision about the German words I’m using. I’ve made sure their meaning is clear the first time I’ve used them.  I’ve also created a glossary. This will also be included on the web site.  

I’ve also decided to provide some information about the places in the sorry. I’m currently working on that for the web site as well.               

Charlotte Delbo - Auschwitz and After

This is a really moving book. It is in translation and I’m not really sure why I didn’t read it in its original French. Nevertheless, it seems to have been translated well.  

Charlotte Delbo, Auschwitz survivor, presents a series of poems, vignettes and prose poems about her experiences of Auschwitz and after, and of the experiences of others she knows.

Auschwitz is always with her.

She doesn’t colour her accounts with memory or with trying to explain what it was all about. She recreates the feeling of the place and of the experience and brings some immediacy to her readers.

I found myself resisting reading this at times. I didn’t want to confront the darkness. It is anything but a comfortable read.

The disorientation that she and others she knew felt after release was remarkable. Nothing seems all that important. Some habits from the camp cannot be lost. In some cases it was too soon to form new relationships and then became too late.  

A few particular passages really stand out.

She recalls having to count the dead every day. One day they see Alice’s leg. Alice had a false leg. Seeing the detached leg indicates that Alice has died.

She describes a Christmas Eve in the camp. They manage to have a feast of vegetables and put on a little home-made make-up.

Charlotte manages to buy a copy of Molière’s Le Misanthrope. They put on a performance in the camp. Charlotte also learns the play off by heart. She recites it to herself – sometimes up to three times - during roll call.

In the passage about Gilberte, the reader really can feel the disorientation after release. Gilberte is even afraid to leave her hotel room.

Delbo brings us close to understanding what it was like to be there. This seems to work better than fiction or autobiography written from memory.     

Deleted scene: Anika and Helga find out about Renate

I've cut Helga out of this scene altogether. Helga's part did not add to the plot. This scene was slowing the story down. But ti does show some character development - which may have been there more for my sake than for the sake of the story. 

Anika 25 April 1939

“It’s someone for you,” Anika’s mother called.

Anika looked up from her game of clock patience.

There was someone at the door for her?

Well, yes, she’d heard the doorbell ring. That was rare as well. What was the matter with people these days? No one was making visits any more.  Everybody was just so serious all the time.

But it was for her? No, she must be dreaming.

“Well, come on then,” called her mother. “Aren’t you going to come and greet your guest?”

Curious, Anika wandered into the hall way.

It was Helga. Helga was standing there beaming at her.

“You will come and help, won’t you?” she asked. “The grown-ups haven’t got enough patience. We’re taking my cousins on a picnic. Not this Saturday. But the one after. Will you come?”

Anika didn’t know what to say. She really wasn’t sure she knew how to look after little children.

“Well, I don’t know … what would you want me to do?” she asked.

“Nothing much,” replied Helga. “Just help with a few games. And maybe make some sandwiches. Perhaps you could bake a cake.”

Not much then. But Helga looked so enthusiastic, Anika knew she couldn’t refuse.

“All right then,” she said slowly. “I’ll come.” She really wished, though, that Helga had never asked.

“Oh for goodness sake,” said Anika’s mother coming into the all. “Show your friend in properly. Go into the sitting room. Would you like some tea, Helga?”

“Oh yes please, Frau Müller,” said Helga.

“Anika, there are still some of those almond biscuits I made. Offer some to your guest.”

Minutes later, the two girls were in the sitting room. Anika found she quite liked being the hostess and pouring out tea, and offering her guest biscuits. But soon the gossip was just like the old days.  Except that it was different, because they had so much to tell each other.

“At least you’re going to be doing something you enjoy,” said Anika with a sigh. “The Piloty school sounds as if it’s going to be so dull. Just hard work. No fun. I don’t think I like this idea of the three Cs.”

“Three Cs?” asked Helga.

“You know, children, cooking, church,” said Anika.

“Ah yes,” said Helga. “The good little German Hausfrau. I don’t mind the children, though.” 

“That’s horrible,” said Helga. “The poor man.”

“I know,” said Anika. “I wonder who did it. And how could they?”

“I don’t know,” said Helga. “It’s really horrid.”

“I’m so angry with Fritz as well for finding it so … well, exciting,” said Anika.

[In between these two passages Anika’s brother Fritz comes home and reports that he and his Hitler Youth friends have found Herr Kohn’s body in the forest.  He appears to have been shot.  Later, they all realise that he has merely been knocked out and he may have done it himself by walking into a tree. He is old and somewhat demented. He is also Jewish. The characters in the story and the readers are left to come to their own conclusions.]      

“I suppose at least it’s something for the letter,” said Helga. “I was getting worried I’d have nothing new to say.”

“Isn’t it about time we were getting another one?” asked Anika. “I hope it doesn’t all die a death. It’s a really good way of keeping in touch, now that we’re all over the place.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” said Helga. “And I am looking forward to seeing what Renate has to say. I wonder how she’s getting on in Stuttgart.”

“Yes, and I’m really looking forward to some more of her pictures,” said Anika. “It’s not like her to delay things though. Perhaps she’s just busy.”

“Aren’t we all?” replied Helga. “Even if we’re bored as well, sometimes.”

“You don’t sound as if you’re bored,” replied Anika. “You’re always doing things with your little cousins.”

“Yeah!” said Helga grinning.