''Out of the Hitler Time'' is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels by
Judith Kerr
Anna Judith Gertrud Helene Kerr (surname pronounced ; 14 June 1923 – 22 May 2019) was a German-born British writer and illustrator whose books sold more than 10 million copies around the world. for children and young adults.
''When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit''
''When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit'' is the first book in the trilogy and a well-known novel for children.
It is based upon the early life of the author whose
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
father, noted drama critic, journalist and screenwriter
Alfred Kerr
Alfred Kerr (''né'' Kempner; 25 December 1867 – 12 October 1948, surname: ) was an influential German theatre critic and essayist of Jewish descent, nicknamed the ''Kulturpapst'' ("Culture Pope").
Biography
Youth
Kerr was born in Breslau, ...
, was wanted by the Nazis. Kerr's family fled their home in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
via Switzerland to escape to Paris and then England.
She came to write the book when her own son was eight; after seeing ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...
'' he remarked, "Now we know what it was like when Mummy was a little girl". Kerr wanted him to know what it was really like and so wrote ''When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit''. The book gives a distinctive child's perspective on the
rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany and the experience of being a refugee,
reflecting Kerr's positive feelings about her own experience:
The story starts in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, in March 1933, when nine-year-old Anna, the main character in the trilogy, finds out one morning that her father is missing. She and her brother, Max, discover that Papa thinks that
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
might win the elections, and has fled to
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Because the family is of
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
heritage, and Papa is also a well-known critic of the Nazis, this is important. If Hitler wins the elections, Mama, Max and Anna will join Papa in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. If Hitler loses, then Papa will come back home to Berlin. However the parents decide not to wait until after the elections and Mama and the children rushed into Switzerland in alarming secrecy. It is at this time that Anna has to choose which toy she wishes to take with her. She opts to take her new woolly dog, and leave behind her pink rabbit toy, believing she will return to Berlin after a short time. It is from this that the title is derived as she considers that Hitler and the Nazis have "stolen" her toy.
In Switzerland, they settle in a
gasthof on the shore of
Lake Zurich
__NOTOC__
Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
, and the family stay there for six months. Soon, however, Papa thinks that they should move to Paris, and goes there to find out about accommodation. He comes back and wants Mama to come back with him as a prospective buyer. So Max and Anna are left on their own for a little while.
The Nazis find out about Papa as he travels, and a price of one thousand marks is put on his head. This really scares Anna and she is afraid that it means that Papa will be put in a room with one thousand coins being dropped onto his head, suffocating him. She goes on believing this until Max tells her what it really means. When Papa soon comes back to collect them (Mama stays in Paris to settle into the apartment they have rented), a porter directed them to the wrong train, one that will send them back to Germany, where Papa would have been imprisoned by the Nazis. Fortunately, though, Anna notices the destination label just in time, and they manage to get their luggage back and onto the correct train to Paris. There, Max attends a boys' school, and it takes a long time but Mama finally finds an elementary school for Anna. Anna finds French hard for a little while, but one day it clicks and she finds herself able to speak it fluently. In 1936, after two years in Paris, the family decides to move again, this time to London, as Papa thinks the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, inspired by a talk he had with the children. The story ends as Mama, Papa, Max and Anna get off the train in England, to be greeted by Mama's cousin, Otto.
''Bombs on Aunt Dainty'', which was originally published as ''The Other Way Round'' in 1975,
.
Anna lives with the fear of bombs while Max is away studying at Cambridge University. The final scenes take place on
.
''A Small Person Far Away'' is the third part in the trilogy, published in 1978.
The book is set in 1956, coinciding with the
. Anna lives in Kensington with her husband
. Towards the end of the book Anna becomes pregnant.
. It is often used in German and British
schools as an introduction to the period in history and the experience of being a refugee. The book has been used as part of the Judith Kerr collection at the
.
Best Book of the Year and a Horn Book Fanfare Title.
as the television film ''Als Hitler das rosa Kaninchen stahl'', directed by , starring
of ''When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit'' premiered in December 2019 in Germany, directed by
.
portray the parents.
In May 2021, it was announced that a stage musical adaptation of ''When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit'' is in development at
. Further information is to be confirmed.