Panorama is an unconventional piece of Holocaust literature in that H. G. Adler has fictionalized his experience,telling it in a unique narrative centered on the metaphor of a "panorama", a kind of pre-cinematic slide show format. First drafted in 1948, the book was not published until 1968 and has only been published in English in 2011. The work consists of 10 vignettes in roughly chronological order describing different times in the life of the protagonist, Josef Kramer, a Jewish Czech living through the late WWI through post-WWII period. The vignettes have no explicit links and represent various stages in the growth and maturity of Joseph. The work is in some ways based on similar autobiographical events experienced by Adler, but he claims it is not an autobiographical work. There are similarities of tone and style running through the vignettes, but they highlight various aspects of Josef's personality. Many parts are dark, but some are benign and even comical. There is also a strongly philosophical thread throughout the book, which comes to a climax in the final, post-liberation section. The book recreates the lost world of German-speaking pre-WWII "middle Europe" and chronicles its destruction through the life of one fictional individual. It's a harrowing, powerful and worthwhile read.
Click here for a review of the book from NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/books/review/Shulevitz-t.html?pagewanted=all
Click here for a review of the book from NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/books/review/Shulevitz-t.html?pagewanted=all
