A story of survival, art, and friendship during wartime internment in Britain.
When artist Hugo Dachinger asked to paint diarist Wilhelm Hollitscher's portrait, a new friendship was born. Both men, refugees from the Nazis, were interned in the Huyton Internment Camp in 1940. They refused to let the experience daunt them, with Dachinger manufacturing art materials from anything to hand and Hollitscher continuing his diary keeping. Hollitscher's diary provides a vivid account of daily life in the camp along with wider political comment, while Dachinger staged exhibitions of his work in the camp entitled Behind the Wire.
The context is set by three chapters: Professor Charmian Brinson writes about the history of internment and Churchill's policy to 'collar the lot,' Rachel Dickson elucidates Dachinger's work, and Ines Newman provides a portrait of her grandfather. This book reveals the true experience of life in captivity and is as relevant to today's injustices as it is an account of unjust treatment in the past. Perfect for readers interested in:
- WWII history
- Refugee experiences
- Art as resistance