Otto and Daria: A Wartime Journey Through No Man's Land

by Eric Koch

Overview

A poignant memoir of lives cleaved by war, Otto and Daria is the first-hand account of Eric (or Otto) Koch. As a Jewish refugee from WWII Germany, Otto first left his country for England, and later arrived in Canada, where he was for a time imprisoned in a camp. The counterpoint to Otto's recollections are the letters from his long-distance love interest, Daria Hambourg, a London girl of bohemian temperament, unusual literary talents and a distinguished, but restrictive, family background. These parallel writings tell the story of two young people caught in the grip of history, and together show what you have to give up in order to move forward.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780889774438
Publisher:	University of Regina Press
Publication date:	10/13/2016
Series:	Regina Collection Series , #4
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	4.80(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Eric Koch was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1919. From 1937 to 1940 he attended Cambridge, where he studied economics and law. In May 1940, he was interned as an "enemy alien," together with thousands of other Jewish refugees. He was among those who were sent to Canada, where he remained interned until the end of 1941. From 1944 until 1979 he worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He is the author of fourteen books of fiction and six of non-fiction.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: My Encounter with Daria

Chapter 1: Frankfurt—The Centre of the World
Chapter 2: St. John’s Wood
Chapter 3: Westendplatz
Chapter 4: The Playing Fields of Cranbrook
Chapter 5: Shadows of the Past
Chapter 6: 1938—The Year I Met Daria
Chapter 7: Daria’s First Letters
Chapter 8: Waiting for Monsieur Rappaport
Chapter 9: Fifteen Minutes with the Police
Chapter 10: Anguish in Ascona
Chapter 11: “Peace in Our Time”
Chapter 12: Shattering Glass
Chapter 13: Christmas in Buckinghamshire
Chapter 14: From Frankfurt to Kensington
Chapter 15: Watches and Clocks
Chapter 16: Tea in St. John’s Wood
Chapter 17: September 3, 1939
Chapter 18: Refugees in the Blackout
Chapter 19: My Future, if Any
Chapter 20: Tea with the Master
Chapter 21: The End of All My Troubles
Chapter 22: Internment Part One: The English Phase
Chapter 23: Internment Part Two: A Camp with a View
Chapter 24: Internment Part Three: A Year in One Spot
Chapter 25: Internment Part Four: The Camp Experience
Chapter 26: Daria in No Man’s Land
Chapter 27: German Lessons
Chapter 28: A Benevolent Colonel
Chapter 29: The Consequences of Internitis
Chapter 30: A Love Story
Chapter 31: The Summit
Chapter 32: One Toe in Canada
Chapter 33: Marriage—A Transatlantic Fantasy
Chapter 34: The Summer of 1943
Chapter 35: Nine Toes in Canada
Chapter 36: I Have Arrived

Three Postscripts
Dinner with Daria
St John’s Wood: The Sequel
Father Benedict Ramsden
Final Note
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Eric Koch's previous historical fiction title Hilmar and Odette:
"Eric Koch's brilliant, unique, and moving account has the passion of personal involvement, the clarity of historical observation, and the revelation of archetypal drama. It is a remarkable piece of writing." Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada
"Mr. Koch's amazing story, movingly and skillfully told, once again proves that truth can be stranger than fiction, especially in dark times such as Europe in the thirties and forties. It takes a good deal of imagination, background knowledge, psychological understanding, and the talent of a born writer to carry it off. Mr. Koch has done so triumphantly." Walter Laquer, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Washington, DC
"A sensitive and stylish account of how one man has been able to disentangle the lives of men and women living in Germany in the years before and during the Nazi period. One seldom encounters a memoir that is more worthy, more admirable, more compelling, or more understanding." John Robert Colombo, author and anthologist

From the Publisher