Alice Herz - Sommer was the Prague child of wealthy parents, grew up in the circle of people that have marked the past century with their works such as Franz Kafka, Gustav Mahler, Reiner Maria Rilke, Martin Buber and others. Later, she was friend of Golda Meir, attended the trial of Adolf Eichmann, the greater part of her life spent teaching at the Conservatory of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. She is a woman who has experienced the greatest rewards that civilization can offer and survived the greatest evilness man has devised. That is why a book of her life is filled with stories of both extremes.Her most difficult memories of which she didn’t like to talk originate from the years spent in a concentration camp in the outskirts of Prague, Theresienstadt - Nazi transit camp to Auschwitz. The wagons that came to the camp took away the lives of countless intellectuals, writers, painters, musicians. Specifically, Theresienstadt was a special concentration camp, a cover-up that was created to show how the Jews were actually treated very well by Germans, having lots of "privileges" and how they were feeling "comfortable". Given that within its walls camp housed the largest number of Czech artists (they could put together a three symphonic orchestras), they were allowed to hold concerts in order to maintain Nazi propaganda that camps are not actually the camps.Alice's family fled to Palestine before the Second World War II started, and her husband was separated from her at the entrance to Theresienstadt and later taken to Auschwitz, from which he never came back. In the worst circumstances, Alice already recognized and well-known pianist, played in order to save the life of herself and her only son. Together with other artists she secretly taught the children and played hundreds of concerts for the prisoners, of course, without notations that were not allowed in the camp.After the war, she remained without anything; therefore she emigrated with her son in the newly established state of Israel and started a new life. Most of those who listened to her appearances before the war for decades did not know that she survived the war, but her friends and acquaintances claim that she as one of the best Czechoslovakian pianists, would certainly made an international career if she decided to stay in her homeland. She never wanted to profit from her life tragedy, and after the war she had never received Czech citizenship. Her son became a respected cellist and because of his career the last decades of her life Alice spent in London. Alice neighbors rejoiced her exercise classes at a small piano, even in her 110th year. Students which were taught by her were always saying how Alice instilled in them a love towards work, while her friends praised Alice’s incredible will to live.‘Century of Wisdom' is one pianist venture into the writers water, and although Caroline Stoessinger swam well, still she obviously lacks some "swimming" techniques. Regardless, her book is a wonderful biography of a woman that indeed behind her has a century of wisdom. But apart from wisdom, Caroline Stoessinger managed to transfer something much more important to reader – Alice’s indestructible spirit and optimism that are almost palpable while reading the pages of this beautiful book. All readers will irreversibly be infected with it.Unfortunately Alice has not lived long enough to become a living witness to something that somehow circled her rich life - winning an Oscar for short documentary film made on the theme of her life. The awards ceremony took place just a week too late after she left this world on 23rd of February this year. We can only regret that on this occasion she did not have the opportunity to once again address the world with her infectious smile. WOW!! Fantastic book. Very beautiful and inspiring story of survival and love. It's very well-written with facts about the real person. I liked the optimism in the book although the heroine went though terrible things. The interviews were perfect and the comments. But this book is not for everyone. It's very difficult to not be part of the emtions in this read. There is some moments which are not for people with weak hearts. But in ggeneral it's excellent book.
Do You like book De Pianiste Van Theresienstadt (2012)?
Very inspirational-- quite a remarkable woman who can live and think the way she does
—fillebete
I love this woman and want to grow up to be as happy and open-minded as her
—PescadorParrudo
