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Title details for A Tale of One January by Albert Maltz - Wait list

A Tale of One January

by Albert Maltz
Rupert Degas
Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
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0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

Poland, January 1945. Two women and four men escape from a Nazi death march after enduring the horrors of imprisonment at Auschwitz. Despite their individual backgrounds and nationalities, they form their own family caught between the euphoria of freedom and the terror of their circumstances. This is a tale of exploding joy within a hothouse of fear, of human beings erupting into life after breaking free of death's embrace—an unusual and moving tale that cements Albert Maltz's reputation as a compassionate observer of character and one of the finest storytellers of his generation.

Read by the versatile AudioFile Golden Voice, Rupert Degas, and including the music that features within the story.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 19, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781781985052
      • File size: 167728 KB
      • Duration: 05:49:25

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from March 1, 2024

      A screenwriter and novelist blacklisted for his involvement with the Communist Party and jailed for refusing to testify about it, Maltz (The Cross and the Arrow) based his final novel on his 1960 interviews with a Ukrainian Holocaust survivor, Dounia Wasserstrom. It follows two women (Lini and Claire) and four men (Otto, Jurek, Andrej, and Norbert) who in 1945 escape from a Nazi death march and take refuge in an abandoned Polish factory. Though they are emaciated and traumatized, speak different languages, and come from different backgrounds, the group unites with a grimly celebratory air. As they share their stories and care for one another, they cautiously allow long-suppressed emotions, from joy to desire to sorrow, to surface. Narrator Rupert Degas provides a stunning performance, employing shifts in tone and pacing to communicate all that is not said--a hesitation when Otto recognizes the severity of Claire's frozen foot, the palpable anguish when the group glimpses themselves in a mirror. Degas's accent work is superb, moving gracefully from Russian to German to Polish to French, while allowing Maltz's words rather than performative flourishes to take center stage. VERDICT A brief but powerful listen, highlighting human connections and resilience in unthinkable circumstances. This novel deserves a place in every audio fiction collection.--Sarah Hashimoto

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The January of this audiobook's title is no ordinary month. In this wintry time, we meet six courageous escapees from Nazi death marches who are thrust together in a battle for survival. Rupert Degas is a master of accents and emotions as he delivers conversations featuring Russian, French, German, and Polish characters whose mindsets swing between relieved exultation and exhausted devastation. The extended conversations are easy to appreciate because of Degas's subtle vocal adjustments. There are few missteps with character development and dialogue. Delivering the exposition, Degas's voice is compassionate and gentle. Snippets of music punctuate the chapters, but these interludes seem incongruous and abrupt, rather than adding dimension to the performance. Degas is all the music this audiobook needs. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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