The Island of Extraordinary Captives: A True Story of an Artist, a Spy and a War

Description: The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin A gripping untold war story: using exclusive new archive material, letters and diaries, this is the story of the prisoners of war in internment camps during the Second World War. FORMAT Paperback CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description WINNER OF THE WINGATE PRIZEVivid and moving Max Hastings, Sunday TimesExcellent . . . a powerful tribute GuardianIn the summer of 1940, faced with national paranoia, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the internment of all German, Austrian and Italian citizens living in Britain. Most were refugees who had fled Nazi oppression. They now faced imprisonment by the country in which they had staked their trust. Among the inmates of Hutchinson Internment Camp, on the Isle of Man, were world-renowned artists, musicians and intellectuals: despite their unjust captivity, they remained resilient, transforming their prison into an artistic and academic community. Meticulously researched and grippingly recounted, The Island of Extraordinary Captives tells the story of historys most remarkable group of prisoners - and how they found hope even in the most challenging of circumstances.Riveting . . . an account of cinematic vividness New York Times Book ReviewEye-opening, insightful and brilliantly written Daily Mirror Author Biography Simon Parkin is an award-winning British writer and journalist. He is a contributing writer for the New Yorker and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society (RHS), and is the author of A Game of Birds and Wolves and The Island of Extraordinary Captives, which was a New Yorker Book of the Year and won the Wingate Literary Prize. He lives in West Sussex. Review Extraordinary yet previously untold true story . . . meticulously researched . . . its also taut, compelling, and impossible to put down * Daily Express *By shining a light upon the governments decision to intern the innocent, Simon Parkins eye-opening, insightful and brilliantly written book serves as a timely reminder of the dangers of populism * Daily Mirror *Compelling . . . In this "university of captives", Parkin has unearthed a small and riveting chunk of wartime history, easily overlooked -- Anne de Courcy * The Telegraph *Vivid and moving . . . Spotlights a sorry aspect of Britains war which deserves to be better known -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *The wealth of primary sources through which Parkin has trawled fill its pages with life; his enthusiasm for his subject fills it with affection. The reader is left with a powerful sense of Weissenborns verdict on Hutchinson: to turn a prison camp into a university "was a miracle of the human will to live and to work". * The Times *Meticulously researched * Literary Review *Parkin [has an] inimitable capacity to find the human pulse in the underbelly of Britains war...The Island of Extraordinary Captives is multi-layered...definitely worth the deep dive into Britains inglorious war, when desperate men and women were disregarded, abused and left to fester in a humiliating no mans land. Its a reminder that conflict has always been a convenient mask behind which thuggery and xenophobia thrive. Yet, despite the stark injustice it describes, it is a curiously exhilarating read: an example of how individuals can find joy and meaning in the absurd and mundane. * The Spectator *A brisk, vivid narrative...Parkins success in bringing this shabby corner of Britains wartime history to life is of more than historical interest. * Times Literary Supplement *Parkins account, with its well-chosen central figures and attention to the trauma that some of the imprisoned carried for decades, is testimony to human fortitude despite callous, hypocritical injustice -- Best Books of 2022 * New Yorker *Riveting . . . a truly shocking story of what officials are wont to term national misjudgment is electrifyingly told by the journalist and historian Simon Parkin, whose breadth and depth of original research has produced an account of cinematic vividness -- Juliet Nicolson * New York Times Book Review *Parkins rich and vivid account makes clear just how much the displaced artists did suffer, and the remarkable resilience and creativity with which they responded -- Matthew Reisz * Observer *Excellent . . . Parkin has told his story with energy and flair . . . A powerful tribute to the wartime internees, and a timely reminder of how much Britain gained from their presence -- Charlie English * Guardian * Long Description Extraordinary yet previously untold true story . . . meticulously researched . . . its also taut, compelling, and impossible to put down Daily Express The police came for Peter Fleischmann in the early hours. It reminded the teenager of the Gestapos moonlit roundups he had narrowly avoided at home in Berlin. Now, having endured a perilous journey to reach England - hiding from the rampaging Nazi thugs at his orphanage, boarding a Kindertransport to safety - here the aspiring artist was, on a ship bound for the Isle of Man, suspected of being a Nazi spy. What had gone wrong?In May 1940, faced with a country gripped by paranoia, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the internment of all German and Austrian citizens living in Britain. Most, like Peter, were refugees who had come to the country to escape Nazi oppression. They were now imprisoned by the very country in which they had staked their trust. Painstakingly researched from dozens of unpublished first-hand accounts and previously classified documents, The Island of Extraordinary Captives tells, for the first time, the story of historys most astonishing internment camp and of how a group of world-renown artists, musicians and academics came to be seen as enemy aliens. The Island of Extraordinary Captives is the story of a battle between fear and compassion at a time of national crisis. It reveals how Britains treatment of refugees during the Second World War led to one of the nations most shameful missteps, and how hope and creativity can flourish in even the most challenging circumstances. Review Quote Meticulously researched Promotional "Headline" A gripping untold war story: using exclusive new archive material, letters and diaries, this is the story of the prisoners of war in internment camps during the Second World War. Details ISBN1529347238 Author Simon Parkin Year 2023 ISBN-10 1529347238 ISBN-13 9781529347234 Format Paperback Publication Date 2023-06-08 UK Release Date 2023-06-08 Imprint Sceptre Country of Publication United Kingdom Publisher Hodder & Stoughton Subtitle A True Story of an Artist, a Spy and a Wartime Scandal Pages 448 DEWEY 940.53174279 Audience General NZ Release Date 2023-08-28 AU Release Date 2023-08-28 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:143608784;

Price: 20.78 AUD

Location: Melbourne

End Time: 2024-11-27T06:03:59.000Z

Shipping Cost: 9.4 AUD