Anne Sebba: The Woman’s Orchestra of Auschwitz

Captioned

In 1943, 50 women and girls were drafted into an orchestra within the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp by the same Nazi officers who were killing their families and friends. Though the musicians’ participation may have aided their survival, in The Woman’s Orchestra of Auschwitz historian Anne Sebba explores the deep moral complexity and personal impact of offering art to those perpetrating genocide. Hear Sebba talking to James Naughtie about this fascinating, troubling new book.

Book Festival News

60 new events now available on demand 60 new events now available on demand
Tuesday 4 November

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Watch more

Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie Master storyteller Salman Rushdie returned to the Book Festival in 2008 to talk about his sumptuous new novel The Enchantress of Florence with Ramona Koval. This is a short extract filmed live at the sold-out event where he describes the influences on his… James Kelman: Class Act James Kelman: Class Act It’s impossible to overstate the importance of James Kelman and his landmark 1994 Booker Prize win for Scottish literature. Nearly 30 years on, we welcome Kelman back to the Festival to speak with writer Graeme Armstrong on God's Teeth and Other Phenomena… Chris Brookmyre: Thirty, and Counting Chris Brookmyre: Thirty, and Counting Chris Brookmyre’s offbeat brand of Scottish crime has been selling by the millions since his debut in 1996. He joins us now with his 30th novel, The Cracked Mirror, a deeply unusual detective caper that splices the tweedy with the hardboiled… Miriam Toews: Remaking the World Miriam Toews: Remaking the World The author of international phenomenon, Women Talking, joins us to discuss making a pact with traumatic memory and filling silences we wish weren’t there… David Peace & Chris Power: Cities That Cast Long Shadows David Peace & Chris Power: Cities That Cast Long Shadows Berlin and Tokyo: two peaceful and thriving cities… yet each haunted by the weight of history, where everything is imbued with ‘the stench of the past, the noise of the future.’ Chris Power’s clever debut novel A Lonely Man is set in Berlin under the… Colm Tóibín: Man Imagines Mann Colm Tóibín: Man Imagines Mann It’s been a year of recognition for Colm Tóibín. First the writer was announced as the new Irish Laureate for Fiction and then he was awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime of achievement. He’s also published a first book of poetry, Vinegar Hill and… Lorraine Kelly: Escape To Orkney Lorraine Kelly: Escape To Orkney Beloved broadcaster Lorraine Kelly first visited Orkney in 1985 and has returned every year since then. Orkney is also the setting for her debut novel, The Island Swimmer. An instant Sunday Times bestseller, it’s a tale of facing the past, self-discovery… Devi Sridhar: Health For All Devi Sridhar: Health For All What's the key to a longer, healthier life? Is the answer in self-help books and disciplined individual optimisation, or should we be holding governments to account for their policies on everything from pandemic preparedness to water treatment?… Oliver Bullough with Ian Rankin: How Britain Got Addicted to Dirty Money Oliver Bullough with Ian Rankin: How Britain Got Addicted to Dirty Money A ‘ghost company’ based in Edinburgh was recently accused of supporting Russian military services, thus aiding the invasion of Ukraine – a stark example of how Britain pimps itself out to international dirty money. Butler to the World is Oliver Bullough’s… Grace Spence Green: Recovery and Radical Acceptance Grace Spence Green: Recovery and Radical Acceptance When a freak accident irreversibly changed Grace Spence Green’s life at just 22 years old, she developed a resilience she never thought possible. Join Spence Green, in conversation with Gavin Francis, to challenge the way we think about disability…