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Françoise Frenkel (14 July 1889 – 18 January 1975) was a Polish-Jewish writer and bookseller. With her husband, in 1921 she opened the "Maison du Livre français",
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
's first specialist French book store, which she ran till 1939. On 27 August 1939 she belatedly escaped from
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
as a passenger on a special train to Paris which had been organised by the French embassy. Shortly before June 1940, which was when the invading German army reached Paris, she joined the thousands of Parisians fleeing to the south of the country. As the Nazi invaders tightened their grip on
southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...
she was forced to flee again, crossing into Switzerland near
Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...
, on her third attempt, in June 1943. She was allowed to stay in Geneva, her cousin the cinema producer Lazar Wechsler vouching for her, and she survived. She wrote an account of her adventures which was published (in French) in September 1945 by J.-H. Jeheber S.A, a
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
n publishing house that has long ago disappeared. Very few copies were produced and the book was quickly forgotten. However, 35 years after the author's death it was rediscovered in a car boot sale in southern France. "Rien où poser sa tête" (''"No place to rest her head"'') was republished in 2015, also being translated into German for the first time. It now found a wider resonance, commended by the respected political journalist
Robert Fisk Robert William Fisk (12 July 194630 October 2020) was an English writer and journalist. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians. As an international correspo ...
both for its messages and for its "abrupt, shocking yet delicate prose, cruelty and beauty combined in just over 250 pages".


Life


Family provenance and early years

Frymeta Idesa Frenkel, who later changed her first name to Françoise, was born into an intellectual Polish-Jewish family in
Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by #Etymology, alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the capital of Piotrków County and the second-largest city in the Łódź Voi ...
, a midsized prosperous industrial town in
Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...
, at that time a western province of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. She had a musical education, and on completing her schooling, moved to
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
to study with composer Xaver Scharwenka, which also gave her an opportunity to improve her German. She then moved on to the Sorbonne in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
where the focus of her study – later also her life's defining passion – was French literature. When not studying, she spent her time engrossed by the second hand book stalls along the quais by the river near Notre-Dame, and in the second hand-book shops in the city's left-bank quarter. In 1918, at the end of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, she returned home. Her family were well, but the house had been emptied by invading armies. The piano had disappeared from the living room, and in her childhood bedroom the wall hangings had been stripped, and the uncovered plaster being coated with newspaper. Worst of all, the little book collection that she had started to assemble as a child had been taken, although the now empty cabinet that had accommodated it, was still in her room.


The dedicated entrepreneuse

She returned to Paris to complete her studies, after which she took a traineeship in a second hand bookshop in the Rue Gay-Lussac. Her success there encouraged her to set up a bookshop specialising in French books back home in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, an independent Polish state was re-emerging for the first time since
1795 Events January–June * January – Central England records its coldest ever month, in the CET records dating back to 1659. * January 14 – The University of North Carolina opens to students at Chapel Hill, becoming the ...
. French culture and literature were respected and widely studied in Poland, especially in the south of the country, and she selected
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
as an ideal location for a specialist French bookshop. Visiting the city to research the market forced a change of plan, however, when she discovered an abundance of well stocked bookshops, with an excellent selection of French literature. Travelling back to Paris, she interrupted her journey for an overnight stop at
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
to visit a friend, she noticed a total absence of French books. Her friends did not share her conviction that here was a commercial opportunity, and the French Consul General also appeared determined to dampen her enthusiasm. Frenkel was not dissuaded, however. By this time she had married Simon Raichenstein, and the two began selling French books, working from the landing between floors in a private apartment in Kleist Street. In 1921, two years after
Sylvia Beach Sylvia Beach (14 March 1887 – 5 October 1962), born Nancy Woodbridge Beach, was an American-born bookseller and publisher who lived most of her life in Paris, where she was one of the leading expatriate figures between World War I and World W ...
had opened Shakespeare and Company, the first bookstore dedicated to English language literature in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and now receiving support from the French diplomatic mission in Berlin, Frenkel and Raichenstein opened the "Maison du Livre français" ( "House of the French Book") along the Passauer Street in a district of west-central Berlin with many Jewish residents. At first, Berlin's intellectual elite approached this new supply of francophone literature only with caution, but at this time, in the wake of the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
, there were also around 100,000 Russian refugees living in Berlin, many of whom were well educated and welcomed the chance to read French classics in the original language. As the 1920s progressed German customers increased. The enterprise acquired a certain cachet, becoming a cultural focus, described by one source as "one of the top addresses for all francophiles" in the city. Frenkel organised receptions for visiting French literary figures. Among visitors at the Passauer Street bookshop were: Claude Anet,
Henri Barbusse Henri Barbusse (; 17 May 1873 – 30 August 1935) was a French novelist, short story writer, journalist, poet and political activist. He began his literary career in the 1890s as a Symbolist poet and continued as a neo-Naturalist novelist; i ...
,
André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...
, Julien Benda,
Aristide Briand Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...
and
Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known as Colette or Colette Willy, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a Mime artist, mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaki ...
.


Régime change

A new government at the start of 1933 changed the political context. The
Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
swiftly transformed Germany into a
dictatorship A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no Limited government, limitations. Politics in a dictatorship are controlled by a dictator, ...
with its
antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
policy. During the next couple of years many of Germany's Jews fled abroad or were arrested. Frenkel's husband Simon Raichenstein was also Jewish. He was born in
Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...
, Belarus and belonged to the community of Polish and Russian-Jewish exiles among whom memories of anti-Jewish pogroms were alive. He barely hesitated. By November 1933 he fled to Paris with a Nansen passport. The French authorities refused to issue him an identity card, but he was issued a residence permit. Raichenstein remained in France until July 1942 when he was arrested and, later, transported to
Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...
. There he died on 19 August 1942. Françoise Frenkel remained in Berlin. The shop was already facing an officially mandated boycott in 1933, but it remained open. After 1935 practical problems increased. There was intervention from the censors and there were other political pressures. Sources refer to an absence of practical backing from the French embassy. Run by a Polish Jewess, it was remarkable that the book store was able to operate at all right through till 1939. It is possible the business stayed open because its activities enjoyed the support of powerful French publishing houses and French politicians, not all of whom were at this stage committed enemies of Nazi Germany. She was in Berlin in November 1938 to experience ''
Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
'' when synagogues and the premises of Jewish businesses were attacked. She experienced the officially sanctioned pogrom from the streets but her book store was spared. As
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
loomed she accepted that there was no future left for her in Germany, and in August 1939 she escaped as a passenger on a special train to Paris organised by the French embassy. Her personal belongings were seized by the Nazis. In Berlin, the remaining stock of the "Maison du Livre français" was also seized.


France

Françoise Frenkel spent the next nine months in Paris where her husband already was but her own written record does not mention him. There was no news from her widowed mother in Poland. On 10 May 1940 German forces invaded France and on 22 June 1940 an armistice was agreed between the French and German governments. Frenkel escaped to the south, but finding
Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...
overcrowded she carried on to
Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...
. She had reached the front-line. Frenkel's first weeks in Vichy France were in
Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
, then in
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionSwitzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
soon after her arrival in France in 1939, she delayed going there for a couple of years. In August 1942, she narrowly avoided capture and deportation, then the police carried out a raid on the little "Hotel Arche de Noe" (''"Noah's Ark Hotel"'') where she was staying. All the hotel's other Jewish guests were escorted into police trucks. She went "underground" and was dependent for survival on "good" French people. Under Italian officials, Frenkel's presence was granted a level of legal status. Friends organised a Swiss visa for her and just a few days before its expiry she succeeded in entering Switzerland at the third attempt.


Later years

Françoise Frenkel was already 53 when she crossed the frontier near Annecy. She lived for more than another thirty years, dying at Nice on 18 January 1975. Very little is known about her final decades. She was again in Berlin in 1959 visiting the divided city to apply for compensation in respect of her lost goods while escaping in 1939. In 1960 the West German government paid her DM 3,500 as "reparation".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frenkel, Francoise 1889 births 1975 deaths People from Piotrków Trybunalski People from Piotrków Governorate 20th-century Polish businesswomen Polish booksellers Book distributors 20th-century Polish women 20th-century Polish writers 20th-century Polish Jews Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to France 20th-century French non-fiction writers College of Sorbonne alumni