Vienna was in full, glorious swing. The grand Konzerthaus had been transformed into a scene of exuberant rural escapism: magically, they had recreated the famous White Horse Inn, the village square and the maypole; they had even brought in real cows and horses.
Bands were playing, there was dancing and singing and plenty of beer. With the arrival of Schuschnigg, the Chancellor of Austria, the crowd erupted into wild applause and cheering. It was Kirtag in St Gilgen, the first ball ever attended by the 17-year-old Georg Klaar, and he stayed until the band had played the very last waltz.
But this was February 1938. On 11 March, lorries began thundering into the streets, filled with uniformed men waving huge swastikas and shouting repeated slogans: ‘One people, one kingdom, one leader!’ and ‘Death to Jews!’ Vienna, once the proud capital of the enormous Austro-Hungarian Empire, was now cruelly betrayed and annexed by the German Third Reich. Life for the Klaar family had changed forever.
Barely four years later, Georg Klaar had become George Clare and was serving in the British army. Almost nothing, save memories, was left of his earlier, exuberant and promising young life. Worst of all, his parents, hiding in the Ardèche region of Vichy France, had been arrested and taken to Auschwitz. Only with hindsight can George discern the complex reasons for their destruction, and for the whole appalling horror and waste of the Holocaust.’
Our Slightly Foxed limited-edition clothbound hardback of this gripping story, Last Waltz in Vienna, is soon to be sold out – with fewer than 100 copies left on our shelves – so, if you’ve been thinking of adding this book to your collection (as a single title or as part of our The World at War bundle of 5 books), now’s the moment.
Please read on for an extract, along with a selection of recommendations for other tempting reading.
With best wishes, as ever, from the SF staff
Isabel, Rebecca, Izzy, Edie & Jennie
Leave a comment