Last Waltz in Vienna
Encyclopedia
Last Waltz in Vienna by George Clare
(21 December 1920 - 26 March 2009) was the 1982 winner of The WH Smith Literary Award
.
The book, subtitled The Destruction of a Family 1842-1942, tells the history and fate of the Klaar family, who were proudly Austrian and also happened to be Jewish.
The family left Austria following the Anschluss
. After the fall of France, Clare’s parents were arrested in 1942 by the Vichy
authorities and deported from the Drancy internment camp
to Auschwitz where they were murdered.
The author changed his name while serving as a volunteer in the British Army in World War II, first in the Pioneer Corps and later the Royal Artillery
, and chose George Clare, as an anglicised version of his original name, Georg Klaar.
The book was translated into six languages and was the subject of a BBC Television documentary.
George Clare (writer)
George Clare was a British Jewish author and Holocaust survivor who wrote Last Waltz in Vienna and Berlin Days. Both are autobiographies in which he recounts first in Last Waltz in Vienna his boyhood and life as a Jew in Vienna, and then subsequently goes on to describe Hitler's rise to power and...
(21 December 1920 - 26 March 2009) was the 1982 winner of The WH Smith Literary Award
WH Smith Literary Award
The WH Smith Literary Award was an award founded in 1959 by British high street retailer W H Smith. Its founding aim was stated to be to "encourage and bring international esteem to authors of the British Commonwealth"; originally open to all residents of the UK, the Commonwealth and the Republic...
.
The book, subtitled The Destruction of a Family 1842-1942, tells the history and fate of the Klaar family, who were proudly Austrian and also happened to be Jewish.
The family left Austria following the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
. After the fall of France, Clare’s parents were arrested in 1942 by the Vichy
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
authorities and deported from the Drancy internment camp
Drancy internment camp
The Drancy internment camp of Paris, France, was used to hold Jews who were later deported to the extermination camps. 65,000 Jews were deported from Drancy, of whom 63,000 were murdered including 6,000 children...
to Auschwitz where they were murdered.
The author changed his name while serving as a volunteer in the British Army in World War II, first in the Pioneer Corps and later the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, and chose George Clare, as an anglicised version of his original name, Georg Klaar.
The book was translated into six languages and was the subject of a BBC Television documentary.