The Island of Extraordinary Captives

£12.99

The police came for Peter Fleischmann in the early hours. It reminded the teenager of the Gestapo’s moonlit roundups he had narrowly avoided at home in Berlin. Now, having endured a perilous journey to reach England – hiding from the rampaging Nazi thugs at his orphanage, boarding a Kindertransport to safety – here the aspiring artist was, on a ship bound for the Isle of Man, suspected of being a Nazi spy. What had gone wrong? In May 1940, faced with a country gripped by paranoia, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the internment of all German and Austrian citizens living in Britain. Most, like Peter, were refugees who had come to the country to escape Nazi oppression. They were now imprisoned by the very country in which they had staked their trust.

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Description

WINNER OF THE WINGATE PRIZE

‘Vivid and moving’ Max Hastings, Sunday Times

‘Excellent . . . a powerful tribute’ Guardian

In the summer of 1940, faced with national paranoia, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the internment of all German, Austrian and Italian citizens living in Britain. Most were refugees who had fled Nazi oppression. They now faced imprisonment by the country in which they had staked their trust.

Among the inmates of Hutchinson Internment Camp, on the Isle of Man, were world-renowned artists, musicians and intellectuals: despite their unjust captivity, they remained resilient, transforming their prison into an artistic and academic community.

Meticulously researched and grippingly recounted, The Island of Extraordinary Captives tells the story of history’s most remarkable group of prisoners – and how they found hope even in the most challenging of circumstances.

‘Riveting . . . an account of cinematic vividness’ New York Times Book Review

‘Eye-opening, insightful and brilliantly written’ Daily Mirror

Additional information

Weight 340 g
Dimensions 192 × 128 × 32 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

415 , 16 unnumbered of plates

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

940.53174279 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K