Overview

"""A gripping, harrowing account of suffering and hard-won humanity."" - Kirkus Review Seeking a World of Art and Beauty in the Shadow of the Holocaust The enthralling story of Sam Herciger provides us with a heart-wrenching and powerful Holocaust memoir. It traces the journey of an aspiring young artist who embarks on a passionate quest to find artistic freedom during the danger-filled period of Nazi hegemony in Europe. Sam’s life is then caught up in some of the most dramatic events of the 20th century. His intriguing adventures begin in prewar Poland, where Sam grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home. It is there that he meets a mysterious figure on the banks of the shining Vistula River, a man who prophesies he would one day achieve fame. Sam’s desire to study art leads him into countless places of peril, including Stalin’s Russia and Nazi Germany. Yet, the creative vision which drove him on gave him the courage to endure unimaginable trials, as did the inspirational works of art he encountered. Sam Herciger’s panoramic story shows that steadfast commitment to the ideals of love, beauty, and truth can conquer seemingly invincible evil. It is a testament to the greatness of the human spirit."

Full Product Details

Author:   Lesley Ann Richardson
Publisher:   Amsterdam Publishers
Imprint:   Amsterdam Publishers
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.513kg
ISBN:  

9789493276109

ISBN 10:   9493276104
Pages:   382
Publication Date:   26 April 2022
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

"Foreword Prologue I. Poland 1. Zawiercie 2. Early Years 3. Poland and the Jews 4. Artistic Dreams 5. First Ventures 6. Krakow 7. Meeting ""the Prophet"" 8. Poznan 9. Secret Plans 10. Russia 11. Sketching in Solitary 12. An Abyss 13. Tarnopol 14. Back to Krakow 15. The Dutch and Flemish Masters 16. Passover 1937 17. A Perilous Plan 18. Through the Lion's Den II. Belgium 19. A Sense of Homecoming 20. Antwerp 21. Hennie 22. At the Academy at Last 23. Onslaught on Poland 24. Prison Again 25. Germany's Western Campaign 26. May 1940: Dunkirk 27. June 1940 - October 1940: Into France 28. November 1940 - May 1941: Gurs 29. May 1941 - June 1941: A Wedding 30. July 1941 - December 1941: In Hiding 31. January 1942 - December 1943: Cataclysm 32. December 1943 - May 1944: Capture 33. Journey to Auschwitz III. Auschwitz And Mauthausen 34. From Persecution to Genocide 35. May 1944 - June 1944: Prisoner A-2649 36. Daily Life in Planet Auschwitz 37. Juxtaposing Beauty and Horror 38. The Ultimate Conflict 39. D-Day 40. The Warsaw Uprising 41. Death March to Mauthausen 42. The Battle of the Bulge 43. Melk 44. Gusen 45. Uncovering the Crimes 46. Gunskirchen 47. Freedom 48. Crisis Point IV. Wanderings 49. New Challenges 50. Yehuda 51. Annie 52. Travel to Rio 53. The First Exhibition 54. The Floodgates Open 55. Israel, and a Meeting Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author Photos"

Reviews

Lesley has done an amazing service in preserving and presenting the life of Sam Herciger to us. It is an intimate portrait of a life which experienced the extremes of suffering and joy. No wonder his art overflowed from within him. She moves from the life of Sam himself to sections which provide the needed historical background. As she does so, she captures in searing prose the horrors of the Holocaust, while at the same time showing glimpses of the humanity, faith and goodness present in its victims. Reading her book is a journey well worth the taking. - Colin Barnes, M.Th., author of They Conspire against Your People; the European Churches in the Holocaust This gripping testimony presents a vivid tapestry, weaving the dark Genocide together with the bright will of one man who longed to express his art. Sam's works remain a testimony of triumph. - Dr. Meridel Rawlings Ph.D., author of Fishers and Hunters, Stain Remover Lesley Ann Richardson's new book Creating Beauty From the Abyss is ariveting manuscript that should be required reading for this generation. It is a biography of Holocaust survivor and Israeli artist Sam Herciger, with each chapter of one man's story set within the context of brilliantly researched historic narrative. The gripping tale of artist Sam Herciger describes the heroic spirit of Holocaust survivors and the supernatural strength often imparted in the most dire circumstances, even when their bed was made in Hell. Lesley Ann Richardson has painstakingly given us a monumental work of historic fact and power. - Christine Darg, Founder, The Jerusalem Channel

"""This gripping testimony presents a vivid tapestry, weaving the dark genocide together with the bright will of one man who longed to express his art. Sam's works remain a testimony of triumph."" - Meridel Rawlings, Jerusalem Vistas. ""An intimate portrait of a life whch experienced the extremes of suffering and joy ... captures in searing prose the horrors of the Holocaust, while at the same time showing glimpses of the humanity, faith and goodness present in its victims"" - Colin Barnes, M.Th. ""A riveting manuscript that should be required reading for this generation ... a monumental work of historic fact and power"" - Christine Darg, The Jerusalem Channel ""The sensitive and compassionate descriptions enable us to enter Sam's suffering and at the same time help us to maintain the hope that one day he would be able to transform the most evil and cruel actions he experienced into art"" - Jan Wilson ""I am looking forward to gifting many friends with this wonderful book"" - Stan Sholar, Logos Research Associate"

Author Information

Lesley Ann Richardson is originally from Queensland, Australia, where she grew up and eventually studied English Literature and Theology. In the 1980s she moved to Israel, and spent a number of years working for different Christian organizations in the land. While there, she met and married her husband, David Richardson, in Christ Church in the Old City of Jerusalem. David was a Canadian, who himself had a remarkable life story, which she also set down in a book. Later she went on to publish Bible Gems from Jerusalem, an award-winning work on history and theology in the feasts of Israel. Lesley is presently living on Vancouver Island, Canada, the home of her late husband, and devoting herself to writing and teaching.

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