Book presentation “Exile in Australia”

The National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism and the Australian Embassy extend a warm invitation to the presentation of the 5th volume of the series “Erinnerungen. Lebensgeschichten von Opfern des Nationalsozialismus”/“Lives Remembered. Life Stories of the Victims of National Socialism” with a focus of “Exile in Australia”, which will take place on Tuesday 2nd October 2018 from 6.30 pm until around 9 pm at the Australian Embassy, Mattiellistraße 2–4, 1040 Vienna.

Following some words of welcome by His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Brendon Hammer and the President of the Austro-Australian Society, Dr. Reinhold Lopatka, Secretary General Mag. Hannah Lessing will introduce the event and the Scientific Director of the National Fund, Dr. Renate S. Meissner, will present the book. This will be followed by a moderated discussion between four descendants of victims of National Socialism, who are travelling to Vienna from Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and will provide fascinating insights into the fates of those families who fled the Nazis. The journalist and historian Dr. Barbara Tóth will guide the audience through the evening and a musical setting will be provided by the Australian singer Tania de Jong AM. Following the presentation the Australian Ambassador will invite the attendees to a reception.

The 5th volume of the series “Erinnerungen”/“ Lives Remembered” is a comprehensive, three-part publication spanning almost 1,000 pages that tells 21 stories of individuals and families who managed to escape to Australia following the Nazi “Anschluss” of Austria.  

In addition to the biographical accounts, which are richly illustrated with a wealth of personal photographs and documents, the three sub-volumes also contain three life stories told exclusively through the medium of photography. The narrators describe their lives in Austria before 1938 and during the Nazi assumption of power, their flight, their arrival in Australia and their life in their new homeland or their return to their old one. The cultural and social anthropologist and longtime President of the Austro-South Pacific Society, Mag. Margit Wolfsberger,  has contributed an introductory article in which she looks into the characteristics specific to exile in Australia.

If you are interested in the book series or would like a copy for review, please contact buchbestellungen@nationalfonds.org. Further information on volume 5 “Exile in Australia” and a extract from it can be found at https://www.nationalfonds.org/band-5-der-erinnerungen.html.

Enquiries:

National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism
Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring 3
1017 Wien
E-Mail: veranstaltungen@nationalfonds.org
Tel.: +43 1 408 12 63