Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
NYRB Classics (2018), Edition: Reprint, 416 pages
Description
A revelatory World War II novel about a German prisoner of war fleeing for the border and encountering a variety of Germans, good and bad and indifferent, along his way. Now available in a new English translation. The Seventh Cross is one of the most powerful, popular, and influential novels of the twentieth century, a hair raising thriller that helped to alert the world to the grim realities of Nazi Germany and that is no less exciting today than when it was first published in 1942. Seven political prisoners escape from a Nazi prison camp; in response, the camp commandant has seven trees harshly pruned to resemble seven crosses: they will serve as posts to torture each recaptured prisoner, and capture, of course, is certain. Meanwhile, the escapees split up and flee across Germany, looking for such help and shelter as they can find along the way, determined to reach the border. Anna Seghers's novel is not only a supremely suspenseful story of flight and pursuit but also a detailed portrait of a nation in the grip and thrall of totalitarianism. Margot Bettauer Dembo's expert new translation makes the complete text of this great political novel available in English for the first time.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member japaul22
Between the history of how and when this book was written and the execution of the novel, this ended up being a fascinating and enjoyable read. [[Anna Seghers]] was a German Jewish woman with communist beliefs born in 1900. She fled Germany in in the 1930s to France and, when France no longer felt
In [The Seventh Cross], seven prisoners escape from one of Hitler's concentration camps. They split up immediately and most are quickly captured, but the action follows George Heisler. He somehow manages to avoid the Gestapo, even though he has no real plan and makes several mistakes. George is not particularly a hero. He is just a man who wants to be free. During the week following his escape, while he is trying to get to a safe space, we see an enormous cross section of German life. There are people unaffected by and uninterested in the political change. There are people benefitting from the new system and turning a blind eye. There are people who are scared of Hitler's policies but go with the flow because they don't know what else to do. There are people working against the new system but in extreme hiding with their beliefs. And because this is all believed in extreme secrecy, George doesn't know who to trust and those he turns to don't know who to trust either.
I thought it was brilliant that the novel isn't about what you think it would be about. From the description, I was expecting more about the escape from the concentration camp. I was expecting to hear a lot about the beliefs of the men who escaped and why they were in the camp in the first place. By not addressing this, Seghers makes clear that there wasn't much rhyme or reason to who ended up targeted by the Gestapo. George was politically against Hitler, but he was young and it's doubtful to me that he was doing anything particularly effective. And once George escapes, it wasn't a high-octane thriller.
I really enjoyed this. [[Anna Seghers]] is a great writer. This book was published at a time when it made a great impact on readers around the world and began to clue people in to what had happened in Germany. This book was a great mix of a novel that was enjoyable to read and opens up some insight into a troubling era.
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safe, left for Mexico. It was in Mexico in 1942 that this book was published. In [The Seventh Cross], seven prisoners escape from one of Hitler's concentration camps. They split up immediately and most are quickly captured, but the action follows George Heisler. He somehow manages to avoid the Gestapo, even though he has no real plan and makes several mistakes. George is not particularly a hero. He is just a man who wants to be free. During the week following his escape, while he is trying to get to a safe space, we see an enormous cross section of German life. There are people unaffected by and uninterested in the political change. There are people benefitting from the new system and turning a blind eye. There are people who are scared of Hitler's policies but go with the flow because they don't know what else to do. There are people working against the new system but in extreme hiding with their beliefs. And because this is all believed in extreme secrecy, George doesn't know who to trust and those he turns to don't know who to trust either.
I thought it was brilliant that the novel isn't about what you think it would be about. From the description, I was expecting more about the escape from the concentration camp. I was expecting to hear a lot about the beliefs of the men who escaped and why they were in the camp in the first place. By not addressing this, Seghers makes clear that there wasn't much rhyme or reason to who ended up targeted by the Gestapo. George was politically against Hitler, but he was young and it's doubtful to me that he was doing anything particularly effective. And once George escapes, it wasn't a high-octane thriller.
I really enjoyed this. [[Anna Seghers]] is a great writer. This book was published at a time when it made a great impact on readers around the world and began to clue people in to what had happened in Germany. This book was a great mix of a novel that was enjoyable to read and opens up some insight into a troubling era.
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LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This book was first heard of by me back in the days of World War II, and when I saw it recently I thought I would read it even though I was not moved to do so when it came out. It is laid in 1936 Germany, and depicts, chillingly, the tension and fear which was inspired by the Gestapo and
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concentration camps even in those days. The simple plot involves the escape of seven inmates of a concentration camp, and tracking down of them George Heisler is one of the escapees and the tension which involves his effort to stay out out of the hands of the Gestapo makes for a tense and suspenseful story. I found I was eager to read the book since one wanted to see if the Gestapo would succeed in recapturing. The book seethes with tension. Show Less
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
Set in Germany during the Nazi regime prior to WW II, this is not only a gripping thriller, but also a stark look at life in a country in the grip of totalitarianism. Seven political prisoners escape from a concentration camp. The camp commander sets up seven crosses, one for each escapee to be
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tortured on when he is recaptured. One by one the escapees are tracked down, captured, and returned to their fates, until there is only one cross remaining, one escapee still at large. It was fascinating to see how so many good people in Germany had so quickly and totally been made so fearful that they could no longer do what was right. A chilling read. Show Less
LibraryThing member starbox
A break-out from German concentration camp (this in the lead-up to war, when prisoners were more non-compliant Germans than Jews). Seven inmates split up and go on the run, while back at the camp, the Commandant- who has the Big Bosses on HIS back- assembles seven cross-like structures in the
We encounter all seven men, but the main story hangs on Georg, as he lies low, hides out, comes within a whisker of capture and is never sure who to trust. People may be motivated to betray him from fear, from political conviction...or equally from past grudges. You can never be sure...a close relative who's sold out to Nazism...or a stranger with an inner sense of right and wrong...
Very very gripping read, as Georg's connections are all under surveillance and there seems no way out.
I normally read accounts of this era with a great sense of distance; a totally different world. You may disagree, but the sense of continual creeping dread and increasing state control in 2020 strikes a chord with this reader.
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grounds, in preparation for their inevitable return...We encounter all seven men, but the main story hangs on Georg, as he lies low, hides out, comes within a whisker of capture and is never sure who to trust. People may be motivated to betray him from fear, from political conviction...or equally from past grudges. You can never be sure...a close relative who's sold out to Nazism...or a stranger with an inner sense of right and wrong...
Very very gripping read, as Georg's connections are all under surveillance and there seems no way out.
I normally read accounts of this era with a great sense of distance; a totally different world. You may disagree, but the sense of continual creeping dread and increasing state control in 2020 strikes a chord with this reader.
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LibraryThing member charl08
I read an ARC (Netgalley) of the NYRB edition translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo.
There is a breakout at a German concentration camp for political prisoners in the 1930s. Seven men escape. Seven 'crosses' are erected in front of the parade ground, and the officer in charge of the camp announces
Told through multiple voices, as inexorably the Nazi regime hunts down the tired, underfed, overworked and tortured men on the run, I found this slow at first. Then the pace accelerates as prisoner after prisoner is tracked down. Seghers shows the great courage (often alongside fear) required to step out from the crowd and challenge the system. At first it seems impossible that anyone will make it, when even small children are weaponised to hunt. Guards stand at every crossing point on the river. Wives and girlfriends are taken in, questioned. Photos of the escapees are posted in the press. Alongside the narrative of escape, friends question what they can do to help (if they can help?) but in the rural areas around the camp men and women largely continue their daily lives.
One of the other reviewers who has recently read this book on LT talks about the similarities to the present day. I also felt this, Seghers points to the difficulties of opposing unjust political systems, but you never feel that it is anything less than vital that we do. This is more than a narrative of heroes, of those who are somehow different from everyone else, superhuman. Instead, she acknowledges the role of chance, of people who are flawed human beings, of the power of friendship and of challenging the idea of those who claim opposition is impossible.
I think the style is of its time (1942) - I wondered how it would have been edited if submitted today. But an amazing book.
Recommended.
(and then read Transit!)
There is a breakout at a German concentration camp for political prisoners in the 1930s. Seven men escape. Seven 'crosses' are erected in front of the parade ground, and the officer in charge of the camp announces
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that all the men will be returned. Told through multiple voices, as inexorably the Nazi regime hunts down the tired, underfed, overworked and tortured men on the run, I found this slow at first. Then the pace accelerates as prisoner after prisoner is tracked down. Seghers shows the great courage (often alongside fear) required to step out from the crowd and challenge the system. At first it seems impossible that anyone will make it, when even small children are weaponised to hunt. Guards stand at every crossing point on the river. Wives and girlfriends are taken in, questioned. Photos of the escapees are posted in the press. Alongside the narrative of escape, friends question what they can do to help (if they can help?) but in the rural areas around the camp men and women largely continue their daily lives.
One of the other reviewers who has recently read this book on LT talks about the similarities to the present day. I also felt this, Seghers points to the difficulties of opposing unjust political systems, but you never feel that it is anything less than vital that we do. This is more than a narrative of heroes, of those who are somehow different from everyone else, superhuman. Instead, she acknowledges the role of chance, of people who are flawed human beings, of the power of friendship and of challenging the idea of those who claim opposition is impossible.
I think the style is of its time (1942) - I wondered how it would have been edited if submitted today. But an amazing book.
Recommended.
(and then read Transit!)
Show Less
LibraryThing member labfs39
Netty Reiling, pen name Anna Seghers, was a German Jew and a communist, both of which made her a target when the National Socialists came to power in 1933. She fled with her Marxist husband and two children to Paris, and then had to flee again in 1940 when the Germans occupied France. She stayed in
Although divided into seven chapters, taking place over seven days, the novel moves between the main character, George Heisler, and thirty other characters in over 100 episodes. The continual movement between characters and scenes might have been choppy in another author's hands, but instead works well here, creating increasing tension. The novel opens in a prison barracks, with the prisoners wondering if the seventh escapee is still at large. We then immediately switch to descriptions of the countryside outside Mainz as a young man, Franz Marnet, pedals his bike through the early morning fog on his way to work. At the factory, he learns of an escape from the nearby concentration camp of seven prisoners, one of whom he might know. It is only then that George Heisler is introduced, hiding in a ditch outside the camp, heart-pounding and desperate. Although George's desperate attempt to reach safety is the main plotline, the back and forth between him and the other escapees, people he knows, his family, and the guards at the camp creates an almost unbearable tension. As one by one the other escapees are captured and George's situation becomes increasing tenuous, I had to put the book down to break the spell, only to find myself drawn back to it, unable to escape as well.
The situation of German communists, labor organizers, and others in the years 1933 to the start of the war was a time period about which I was not well versed. I knew that many were sent to prisons such as Dachau, but the conditions and treatment of communists both by the SA and by everyday Germans was complex. Families sometimes contained both SS members and communists. Former party members might still be loyal, but silent, or they may have succumbed to societal pressure and economics. Communities might come together to help a neighbor on the run, or might isolate an entire family. Segher's novel sheds light on these complexities while at the same time being very straightforward and realistic. Although parts of it read like an adrenaline-driven escape novel, on another level it's a testament to the ties that bind people even when faced with unbearable consequences. And although some people will break under pressure, others find the strength to resist, even unto death.
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Mexico City until 1947 when she returned to East Germany. Her experiences as a communist and having to continually flee, one step ahead of the Nazis, lend authenticity to the novel, as does the research she did into conditions within prison camps at the time. Her novel was extremely popular in the US and was made into a movie starring Spencer Tracey in 1944 and an abridged edition was given to US soldiers going to the European theatre, although many of the references to communism were deleted. The main character was seen as a symbol of successful resistance, as well as the book as a whole being a window into the German psyche.Although divided into seven chapters, taking place over seven days, the novel moves between the main character, George Heisler, and thirty other characters in over 100 episodes. The continual movement between characters and scenes might have been choppy in another author's hands, but instead works well here, creating increasing tension. The novel opens in a prison barracks, with the prisoners wondering if the seventh escapee is still at large. We then immediately switch to descriptions of the countryside outside Mainz as a young man, Franz Marnet, pedals his bike through the early morning fog on his way to work. At the factory, he learns of an escape from the nearby concentration camp of seven prisoners, one of whom he might know. It is only then that George Heisler is introduced, hiding in a ditch outside the camp, heart-pounding and desperate. Although George's desperate attempt to reach safety is the main plotline, the back and forth between him and the other escapees, people he knows, his family, and the guards at the camp creates an almost unbearable tension. As one by one the other escapees are captured and George's situation becomes increasing tenuous, I had to put the book down to break the spell, only to find myself drawn back to it, unable to escape as well.
The situation of German communists, labor organizers, and others in the years 1933 to the start of the war was a time period about which I was not well versed. I knew that many were sent to prisons such as Dachau, but the conditions and treatment of communists both by the SA and by everyday Germans was complex. Families sometimes contained both SS members and communists. Former party members might still be loyal, but silent, or they may have succumbed to societal pressure and economics. Communities might come together to help a neighbor on the run, or might isolate an entire family. Segher's novel sheds light on these complexities while at the same time being very straightforward and realistic. Although parts of it read like an adrenaline-driven escape novel, on another level it's a testament to the ties that bind people even when faced with unbearable consequences. And although some people will break under pressure, others find the strength to resist, even unto death.
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LibraryThing member runner56
Without doubt one of the main issues that often causes concerns when talking about the 2WW is just how much information the everyday German populace received or knew about what the Nazi party were involved in on a day to day basis. Here of course we are referring to genocide and the manipulation
Anna Seghers book is of particular significance as it a product of its time. It paints a picture of a country in change/turmoil but most importantly it is written from someone who actually lived through the rise of Nazism, the emergence of an elitist SS, the indoctrination of the very young into the Hitler Youth, the brown uniforms and fascist beliefs held by the SA whose official role was to protect party meetings, march in Nazi rallies and physically assault and intimidate political opponents. 7 men imprisoned in the fictitious Westhofen camp have escaped. George Heisler, a communist, is the main character and the story follows him negotiating the outlying countryside and taking shelter with those who were prepared to risk the wrath and torture of the Gestapo. As the story unfolds six of the escapees are gradually captured. The title of The Seventh Cross refers to the work of the camp commandant "Fahrenberg" where he has ordered the creation of seven crosses from nearby trees to be used when prisoners are returned not as a means of crucifixion but a subtler torture: the escapees are made to stand all day in front of their crosses, and will be punished if they falter. As in historical document this is an important work primarily because it portrays the mindset of the German people; would they adhere to the barbarous actions of a ruthless government in waiting or were they prepared to stretch out the hand of friendship and help the escapees.
I must confess that as a story I did not find the book as well written as I had hoped (that honour must certainly go to the wonderful Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. and the dangerous actions that Otto Quangel takes when he discovers that his son has been killed on the Russian front) yet it is still an excellent account of its time, written by a lady who herself was a committed communist. Many thanks to the good people at netgalley and the publisher Little Brown Book Group UK, Virago for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.
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and control of not only the German people but those in neighbouring countries which soon fell under the control of jack booted terrorists and in particular the annihilation of groups who did not conform to the Nazi Aryan ideology. So digging deep within the storyline of The Seventh Cross we are almost exclusively given a glimpse into the thinking of the everyday German at that time and in particular their knowledge or lack of just what was happening on a daily basis. Did they know of the existence of concentration camps in the years immediately before war broke out? And if they did know were they supportive? Did they condone what was going on? Were they prepared to help individuals who were incarcerated and brutally beaten for merely condoning a particular belief?Anna Seghers book is of particular significance as it a product of its time. It paints a picture of a country in change/turmoil but most importantly it is written from someone who actually lived through the rise of Nazism, the emergence of an elitist SS, the indoctrination of the very young into the Hitler Youth, the brown uniforms and fascist beliefs held by the SA whose official role was to protect party meetings, march in Nazi rallies and physically assault and intimidate political opponents. 7 men imprisoned in the fictitious Westhofen camp have escaped. George Heisler, a communist, is the main character and the story follows him negotiating the outlying countryside and taking shelter with those who were prepared to risk the wrath and torture of the Gestapo. As the story unfolds six of the escapees are gradually captured. The title of The Seventh Cross refers to the work of the camp commandant "Fahrenberg" where he has ordered the creation of seven crosses from nearby trees to be used when prisoners are returned not as a means of crucifixion but a subtler torture: the escapees are made to stand all day in front of their crosses, and will be punished if they falter. As in historical document this is an important work primarily because it portrays the mindset of the German people; would they adhere to the barbarous actions of a ruthless government in waiting or were they prepared to stretch out the hand of friendship and help the escapees.
I must confess that as a story I did not find the book as well written as I had hoped (that honour must certainly go to the wonderful Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. and the dangerous actions that Otto Quangel takes when he discovers that his son has been killed on the Russian front) yet it is still an excellent account of its time, written by a lady who herself was a committed communist. Many thanks to the good people at netgalley and the publisher Little Brown Book Group UK, Virago for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.
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LibraryThing member Ameise1
Seven prisoners have escaped from the Westhofen concentration camp, but only one reaches the saving shore. On his escape route, Georg Heisler meets men and women who have to choose between betrayal and loyalty, selfish renunciation and humanity, denunciation and solidarity.
Despite the oppressive
The seven days of the escape correspond to seven chapters. Simultaneous events are depicted in short, consecutive scenes.
The Christian motif of crucifixion is reversed: redemption lies in the fact that Georg Heisler's cross remains free.
I was partly fascinated by the different human ways of thinking, but sometimes also repelled and even bored after a while. It is certainly an important book that shows a time window of National Socialism, but often a little long-winded.
Despite the oppressive
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subject matter, the tone of the novel is upbeat.The seven days of the escape correspond to seven chapters. Simultaneous events are depicted in short, consecutive scenes.
The Christian motif of crucifixion is reversed: redemption lies in the fact that Georg Heisler's cross remains free.
I was partly fascinated by the different human ways of thinking, but sometimes also repelled and even bored after a while. It is certainly an important book that shows a time window of National Socialism, but often a little long-winded.
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Awards
Schlegel-Tieck Prize (Shortlist — 2019)
Der Kanon: Romane (15)
Language
Original language
German
Original publication date
1942 (1e édition originale américaine en anglais)
1942 (1e édition originale mexicaine en allemand, El Libro Libre , Mexique)
1946 (1e édition allemande, Aufbau Verlag)
1947-12 29 (1e traduction par F. Delmas et édition française, Blanche, Gallimard)
1986-01-03 (Réédisiton française, Folio, N° 1695, Gallimard)
2020-01-23 (Nouvelle traduction française par Françoise Toraille, Bibliothèque allemande, Métaillé)
Physical description
416 p.
ISBN
1681372126 / 9781681372129