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The Island of Extraordinary Captives: A Painter, a Poet, an Heiress, and a Spy in a World War II British Internment Camp
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About This Book
The "riveting…truly shocking" ( The New York Times Book Review ) story of a Jewish orphan who fled Nazi Germany for London, only to be arrested and sent to a British internment camp for suspected foreign agents on the Isle of Man, alongside a renowned group of refugee musicians, intellectuals, artists, and—possibly—genuine spies. Following the events of Kristallnacht in 1938, Peter Fleischmann evaded the Gestapo's roundups in Berlin by way of a perilous journey to England on a Kindertransport rescue, an effort sanctioned by the UK government to evacuate minors from Nazi-controlled areas.train. But he could not escape the British police, who came for him in the early hours and shipped him off to Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Man, under suspicion of being a spy for the very regime he had fled. During Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s, tens of thousands of German and Austrian Jews like Peter escaped and found refuge in Britain. After war broke out and paranoia gripped the nation, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered that these innocent asylum seekers—so-called "enemy aliens"—be interned. When Peter arrived at Hutchinson Camp, he found one of history's most astounding prison renowned professors, composers, journalists, and artists. Together, they created a thriving cultural community, complete with art exhibitions, lectures, musical performances, and poetry readings. The artists welcomed Peter as their pupil and forever changed the course of his life. Meanwhile, suspicions grew that a real spy was hiding among them—one connected to a vivacious heiress from Peter's past. Drawing from unpublished first-person accounts and newly declassified government documents, award-winning journalist Simon Parkin reveals an "extraordinary yet previously untold true story" ( Daily Express ) that serves as a "testimony to human fortitude despite callous, hypocritical injustice" ( The New Yorker ) and "an example of how individuals can find joy and meaning in the absurd and mundane" ( The Spectator ).
Reviews
"Parkin's account of the experiences of the internees is vivid and moving."
"Parkin's rich and vivid account makes clear just how much the displaced artists did suffer, and the remarkable resilience and creativity with which they responded."
"Parkin recounts Fleischmann's experiences in a brisk, vivid narrative which at times leans too heavily on the singularity of the inmates at Hutchinson in making its argument against indiscriminate internment ..."
"Parkin skillfully draws the reader into the serendipitously rich environment in which Fleischmann, along with a constellation of some of the most brilliant artistic, philosophical and scientific minds of the day, suddenly found themselves."
"The book is not without minor flaws: the cast of characters is dizzyingly large, and at times the narrative is obscured by extraneous information, but these do not detract from Parkin's achievement."
"A deeply effective look at an important but rarely discussed aspect of World War II history."
"It is a cautionary yet inspiring tale, one that bears remembering."
"A vivid recounting of a shameful event that still resonates."
"Character-driven and carefully researched, this is an engrossing look at a less-remembered aspect of WWII."
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