1944 Diary - Softcover

Hans Keilson is the author of Life Goes On, Comedy in a Minor Key, and The Death of the Adversary. Born in Germany in 1909, he published his first novel in 1933. During World War II he joined the Dutch resistance. Later, as a psychotherapist, he pioneered the treatment of war trauma in children. He died in 2011 at the age of 101.

Damion Searls is an author and has also translated thirty books from German, French, Norwegian, and Dutch. He rediscovered the work of Hans Keilson; his 2010 translation of Keilson's Comedy in a Minor Key, published to international acclaim when Keilson was 100, was a New York Times Notable Book and National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.

Praise for 1944 Diary

“An excellent English translation . . . As much an investigation of its author’s psychology as a document of its period.” ―Dorian Stuber, Numero Cinq

“Here is found [Keilson's] humanity, the tender and daring vulnerability.” ―Peter Lewis, Star-Tribune (Minneapolis)

“[1944 Diary] is a deeply personal account, made even more remarkable that it was written during World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust . . . A moving and fascinating read.” ―Library Journal

Praise for Hans Keilson

“The Death of the Adversary and Comedy in a Minor Key are masterpieces, and Hans Keilson is a genius . . . Read these books and join me in adding him to the list, which each of us must compose on our own, of the world’s very greatest writers.” ―Francine Prose, The New York Times Book Review

“What distinguishes Keilson from other writers on the Nazi era is his uncanny understanding of the persecutor as well as the persecuted.” ―Time

“Keilson’s novels, poems, and essays explore the destructive impulse at work in the twentieth century, down to its deepest psychological and spiritual ramifications.” ―Jury citation, 2008 Die Welt Literature Prize

“[Keilson] depicts complicated human interactions . . . with a precocious mastery of nuance and full comprehension of what can’t be said.” ―Judith Shulevitz , The New York Times Book Review