Dunkelnacht

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Language: 
Title in English: 
Dark Night
Author: 
Kirsten Boie
Place of publication: 
Hamburg
Country: 
Publisher: 
Oetinger
Year of publication: 
2021
Pages: 
128 p.
Size: 
12 x 21 cm
ISBN: 
978-3-7512-0053-0
Category: 

The war is over! On the morning of 28th April 1945 in the small Bavarian town of Penzberg, that is already a certainty for some. For others, it is a reason for death sentences by the state courts. Immediately, the mayor, who had been deposed by the National Socialists, returns to office, while the Wehrmacht executes what it considers to be justice. Only 24 hours later, unimaginable horrors have taken place.
The facts are historically proven. Boie has condensed the case into an oppressive chamber play. In concise sentences she describes how neighbours became implacable enemies, how ideological blindness extinguishes all humanity. The oppressive depiction is further intensified by the characters of three young people who stand between the fronts. Boie succeeds in creating a moving piece of literature that gets under your skin. And along the way, the well-known author completely reinvents herself. This title is honoured with the 2022 German Children՚s Literature Award.