De mooie dagen van mijn jeugd

by Ana Novac

De mooie dagen van mijn jeugd is een uniek document: het dagboek van een Joods meisje uit Transsylvanië, dat ze bijhield in Auschwitz en andere concentratiekampen. In die macabere, verwrongen wereld waarin de jonge Ana Novac lacht en huilt, honger lijdt en eet, moet ze bevatten wat het betekent om te sterven of te overleven. Het is vreemd, griezelig, begrijpelijk en verwarrend tegelijk hoezeer het bezit van papier en een stompje potlood en uiteindelijk het schrijven zélf de inhoud worden van haar leven: ik schrijf, dus ik besta.

Genres: Holocaust, Nonfiction, History, Historical, Childrens, War, World War II

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Olaf Gütte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Tagebuch von Ana Novac gegen das Vergessen, aufgezeichnet im Konzentrationslager
Auschwitz und anderen Lagern.
Jeden Tag mit dem Tod konfrontiert, ob durch unmenschliche Zwangsarbeit, Krankheit, Kälte
oder Repressalien der Aufseher, lässt sie sich von ihrem unbändigen Lebenswillen nicht
abbringen und schildert ihre Erlebnisse zunehmend zynisch, wie man eigentlich schon durch den Titel des Buches erahnen kann.
Als Beispiel hier ein einziger Satz aus ihren Aufzeichnungen:
"Seitdem der Tod nicht aufhört, mich sitzen zu lassen, ist er deutlich in meiner Achtung gesunken."

[Dolceluna ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scopro con tristezza che è fuori catalogo, questo libro di Ana Novac.
La mia è una vecchia edizione tascabili Mondadori, comprata anni fa a un mercatino del libro usato a prezzo irrisorio. Dopo un po’ di anni è saltata fuori quasi a caso dai miei scaffali e si è fatta leggere, quasi fosse quello il suo momento.
Non sono a digiuno di testimonianze del genere, anzi, ne ho lette parecchie. Ma questa non è meno di altre, per il valore che ha e per la volontà che l’autrice ha avuto di trasmettere la sua esperienza, dopo anni che l’ha vissuta.
Lei, Ana Novac, nata in Romania (con la precisione nel nord della Transilvania), ha studiato in Ungheria e poi, quando i nazisti hanno preso il controllo del paese, nel 1944, è stata spedita ad Auschwitz, dove ha vissuto, come tanti altri, l’inferno. Ma non ha mai smesso di scrivere, su fogli improvvisati, un po’ ovunque, che poi ha ritrovato dopo molti anni, ha rimesso insieme e ha deciso di pubblicare. Fra le pagine ricordi più o meno sfocati e talvolta confusi si intervallano a incredibili quadri di violenza inaudita. Il tutto testimoniato da una voce giovane e fresca, cresciuta, ahimè, troppo in fretta.
Inutili i paragoni con altri libri simili, come il celebre Diario di Anna Frank. Ogni testimonianza è a sé, questa forse è meno celebre rispetto ad altre, ma non per questo meno meritevole di essere letta.

[Miryam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro duro, molto forte, testimonianza diretta degli orrori di Auswichtz. Ho fatto fatica a leggerlo, perché è proprio un pugno allo stomaco. Non è suddiviso in capitoli e si articola come un flusso di coscienza, perché l’autrice ha ricostruito ciò che aveva scritto durante la prigionia. Secondo me adatto più per la secondaria di II grado.

[Juli · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever read The Diary of a Young Girl and felt like you'd like to read more about that time and age, The Beautiful Days of My Youth is the book for you. But be prepared for a story that will take your breath away and probably break your heart as well.
Ana Novac survived Nazi Germany. She said she thinks that maybe she's immortal. Because she went through so much and still never died. This is the story of a survivor.
And maybe the reason why she survived was her writing. She managed to get hold of pieces of paper and a pencil and wrote about whatever was happening to her in the concentration camp. She is utterly smart and amazingly cynical. You may imagine that her diary is sad and difficult to read, but it will surprise you. Ana Novac managed to see humor in everything. She said when you haven't got any tears left to cry, you'll have to laugh.
Her diary gives us an insight on how things were in concentration camps. The bonds that were made, the conflict between Jews and political prisoners, the lives that all those prisoners had to leave behind, the hope that always beats on. Most movies and books that I had to read during school (I grew up in Germany, we read many books about WWII) kind of never focused too much on the prisoners of concentration camps, so I could never really imagine how it must have been like for them. But Ana Novac shows us the social life in these awful camps and that life still had to go on. They didn't want to give up. Those prisoners of all kinds of nationalities who were thrown together were incredibly strong and had an unbreakable will to survive.
Ana Novac was an amazing writer. I read the book in German and the writing style took my breath away. My edition also had some pictures of her and of her original diary.
Also, I think the title of this books shows you how her story is going to be: extremely cynical, with an ability to laugh at her terrible fate.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving story of life for one who lived through the the Hallocaust. Some of my favorite quotes from the book that tells the sickening story and survival of Ana Novac.

"... tears are the first thing to dry up."

"Nothing stimulates the imagination like hunger."

"The idea occurs to me that beggars aren't aware of their humiliation, or don't care about it. It exists only in the minds of the well fed."

"When does the silence between to people begin to 'smell' sneaky? At what point do you start to dodge your conscience, to avoid it like a trap?"

[Allie Soukup · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Beautiful Days of My Youth written by Ana Novac details the different events Novac went through during World War II, and her time spent in concentration camps. The book was published in 1967. The Beautiful Days of My Youth has 291 pages, which were written as if it were Novac’s journal. Novac attended a Jewish school before she was sent to eight different concentration camps, the first being in 1944. The war nonfiction retelling of Novac’s story portrays the purpose of it: it is best to show kindness and empathy to those around, no matter the difficulty.
Novac details her events throughout the multiple concentration camps. In one of her first camps, Novac spent a lot of time on ‘the hill’, a physically demanding task of digging and shoveling through rain, humidity, and extreme heat. Novac was then sent to work in a factory type of building where she was in charge of washing and distributing clothes. Novac also spent a lot of time explaining the different cultures, languages, groups, and many different roles within the camp. Novac is then sent to Auschwitz where she experienced extremely inhumane conditions, with a lack of food, space, hygiene, and a major lack of rights. Throughout the book, there are many different groups and camps that experienced mass genocide. Novac was then sent to a startup camp where conditions were a lot better, yet were not nearly humane enough. At the end of the book, Novac was sent to a medical tent where she was treated for a fever and other conditions. The book ends with a newfound hope and perseverance experience by Novac.
This book was very successful with portraying the purpose, with many different events showing the kindness experienced and given by Ana Novac. These events served as an upbuilding of spirit and hope in the trying times. The tone was much like a diary, although spoken with the intent of being published. It is written with a more emotional tone that changes throughout the book. Novac uses a lot of metaphors and references in the book, with many comparing groups of people to others. Such as a group of children that Novac mentored during her stay in Auschwitz, this group was very confused and did not understand the rules within the camp. Being able to help others even when you are struggling is extremely upbuilding, as Novac says. Novac talks about the joy and happiness she feels when she shows kindness, not only that but the group of children show extreme gratitude towards Novac. These groups and metaphors really help to inspire kindness and help to portray the purpose. Not only that but they show how being kind not only helps the individual receiving kindness, but providing kindness has a certain level of peace that comes with it.
Overall, this book was inspirational and a great story that I think anyone wanting to learn about World War II should read. One criticism I have is that the book can be confusing with there being a lot of skipping around. There were many times where I had to reread due to confusion. My favorite part of the book was when Novac was talking about how she knew people from before the camp and how they met. It was interesting to see how they interacted and how that changed in the concentration camps. I would only recommend this book to those very interested in World War II and who can read confusing texts. This book would scale 6/10 for me.

[Gabrielle Danoux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ana Novac a dit un jour, lors d'une entrevue avec un quotidien allemand de mémoire, que la langue française était devenue sa patrie, pas la France, qui ne le serait jamais. Son premier roman avait été écrit en roumain, puis traduit ; "Comme un pays qui ne figure pas sur la carte" est son premier écrit directement en français. Avoir une nouvelle patrie linguistique est sans doute un processus tortueux et laborieux et cela se ressent ici : l'orthographe, les temps et les modes, l'usage fréquent d'un langage familier qui ne lui correspond pas forcément. Cela étant, on commence à voir la construction imparfaite d'une oeuvre fictionnelle : Ana Novac part d'une base autobiographique, avec son arrivée à Paris, à peine sortie du régime communiste roumain, au milieu d'une idéologie plus ou moins révolutionnaire et marquée par l'extrême gauche. La satire de la bourgeoisie révolutionnaire est assez réussie. Une large partie de la suite est consacrée à la description de sa folie, qui utilise même son véritable prénom, Zimra. Au fur et à mesure du récit, néanmoins, on avance dans des visions et des délires qui la rapprochent (un peu) de Max Blecher ou même Paul Celan par certains côtés et l'éloignent de l'autobiographie. Il sera intéressant de savoir si cette évolution se poursuit dans les romans suivants.

[Terrah Shaffner]

The beautiful days of my youth by Ana Novac. This book is about This girl in a concentration camp and I found this book while looking for a nonfiction book and it was displayed on the tables.
This book is about this girl and she writes in a journal about her days in a concentration camp. At first she was not supposed to be writing in a journal and used scraps to write on and a random writing utensil but wen the guards found out they didn't really care. This book is basically just about what life is about in a concentration camp.
I thought the ending was good and it went well with the book. My favorite quote was in the beginning of the book in the first paragraph of the preface “ a journal written in a concentration camp, where life itself is a precocious and survival largely a matter of luck, is a rare artifact”
I thought the book was okay, these types of books aren't really my thing but if you like informal book about history then you would like this.

[An · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schitterend boek! Wat een schrijfstijl had dat kind. Ik zou het boek graag 5 sterren gegeven hebben, ware het niet dat de laatste delen het relaas jammer genoeg teniet doen.
Je zit zó in het verhaal en de ongelooflijke gebeurtenissen dat de "noot van de uitgever" heel storend is voor de verwerking van wat je net gelezen hebt.
Alle respect voor de auteur, ik heb genoten van je schrijfstijl en je dagboek in één ruk uitgelezen! Dank je wel voor je moed...

[Juan Fuentes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crónica del paso por diferentes campos de concentración de la autora. Cada noche escribía una especie de diario donde podía: trozos de carteles, papel higiénico, libretas cuando tenía suerte. Estas notas las consiguió hacer llegar al exterior y otras las mantuvo cuando fue liberada.

https://liblit.com/ana-novac-aquellos...

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is exactly what it says it is. A collection of diary-entries.
For me, the downside was that it was hard to make out the chronology of it, who people were, where Ana was, who was there, the significance of parts of the entries.
The book is just the ruminations of a 16 year old girl. Which is not bad, it's just not really worth publishing in this form in my opinion.

[Maurizio Manco · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Mi chiedo se esista, in qualche luogo, un altro buco come questo, nel quale Dio è praticamente sempre sul banco degli imputati." (p. 64)

"Ho attraversato l'inferno e ho incontrato un essere umano. Forse riuscirò a diventare adulta." (p. 126)

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only around page 200 does a comprehensible narrative start. Before that it’s twice translated and barely edited musings of notes smuggled out of Plaszow. Valuable as an original source but low on the list for actual reading pleasure and understanding.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to abandon this book

[Greg lycett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional

[YenKeYun · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hidden gem that should have gain fame like Anne Frank, but more raw, brutal, and powerful with its writing of the truth of Holocaust.

[Jeremiah Roeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was challenging to read for 2 main reasons. First, the content is raw and heartbreaking. But secondly, it’s written like a diary. It’s very scattered and hard to follow sometimes.

[Dymphie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enigszins cynische beschrijving van de persoonlijke ervaringen gedurende de maanden die een 16jarig meisje in de concentratie kampen doorbracht.
Ze kan beslist schrijven, al is dit de zeer geeditte versie van zeer veel jaren daarna. Gruwelijk natuurlijk. Ze heeft het overleeft omdat ze -al in dat woord hier niet op zin plaats- af en toe geluk gehad heeft dat iemand zich enigszins over haar ontfermde. En een karakter heeft dat zeer goed kan doorzetten. Mogelijk heeft ze gelijk, en is het juist omdat ze kon schrijven ze enigszins aan de ontmenselijking kon ontkomen. Het was een zeer indrukwekkend boek, maar het einde was minder, alhoewel, hoe moet je zoiets eindigen...

- 'Restanten ' meer krijg je in Plaszow niet te zien

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was interesting, I thought that it was very confusing... It gives insight into a different part of the concentration camps. A lot of the women were killed upon entrance to the concentration camps, but obviously, some made it through. It seems to me that they were treated nicer than the men, but they were still exposed to suffering that no human should ever have to experience.

About 400 pages are missing from her account of the concentration camps, and that makes this a very confusing book to get through. You have to watch and see what's going on... Very carefully, or else you can and will get lost.

[Neil Mudde · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think what turned me off the book, was this endless comparison to The Diary of Anne Frank's, Schindler's list, etc, it is a well written story, it simply did not grab me, some thoughts seemed incomplete, now I realize the book was written from notes of which some were in bad condition.
I cannot begin to imagine or comprehend the horrors of life in a concentration camp, as well one needs to be careful, not to be considered an Anti Semite, as only those persons who survived these horrors would know.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through luck,divine providence or just being in the right place at the right time with others to help her this young girl was able to survive the WW II holocaust. Somehow the scraps of paper and notebooks on which she kept her journal survived or enough of them survived for her to reconstruct the time she spent in concentration camps. It is a relatively quick read and though written with a light touch the horror of the treatment of a minority by a brutal majority (not just the perpetrators, but those who did nothing) comes through.

[Adessa18 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a librarian, I see a lot of books go through my hands. I'll be the first to admit that there are some books that look better to me than others. As soon as I saw this book I KNEW I had to read it. I cannot even begin to describe the roller coaster of feelings I went through while reading it. The end was very abrupt, but the Epilogue helped to give a better sense of closure. I consider myself a very empathetic person so some of this book was very difficult for me read, but I COULD NOT stop. It is a marvelous book.

[Zuzka-knižníček · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knížka je něco jako autobiografie 14-leté dívky, která si dělá zápisky do deníku během pobytu v koncentračním táboře, zapisovala si vše, co viděla, zažila, cítila a na co myslela. Napsala jsem schválně něco jako, protože to není úplně autentické, respektive mě kapánek vadilo, že z knížky nejde poznat styl tak mladého děvčete, je to spíš styl ženy, který má tzv. odžito (snad je dobře pochopitelné, jak to myslím), proto mi knížka nepřijde úplně věrohodná. Podle mě knížka docela vhodná pro "začínajícího" čtenáře knížek z 2.SV, holocaustu, atp.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very easy to read. I find many holocaust books to be heavy (and rightfully so...) but Ana Novac found a way to keep it light. Her writing style is beautiful, playing on my emotions without me expecting it.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did a book report on this in fifth grade and it's interesting to see how my perceptions have changed. As an 11 year old, I was mostly impressed with how she preserved her diary through memorization and hiding scraps of paper in her shoes, now I focused more on the words. I don't understand how this is not more known.

[Sarah Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this book, because it's really someone's personal journal that somehow (mostly) survived 6 months at Auschwitz and other internment camps. It was an interesting perspective into the mind of a teenage girl in a horrible situation. Sad and enlightening. A quick and easy read.

[Pat Richards · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this book should have been great, it failed miserably.
Very disjointed.
I could read all the words, and I could read all the sentences, it just didn't tell much of a story. Especially for a true account.

[Deborah]

In the four-page author's foreword, she looks back at her childhood/adolescent self who started writing during two years in a convalescent sanatorium, where she wrote to her mother in the form of a journal "in a place where besides meals, the only events were your thoughts."

[Petra]

I´m really looking forwad to reading this book, it´s about my fav topic.

[Shelley Van belleghem · Rating 2 out of 5]

verschrikkelijk wat hier gebeurde maar het boek kon me niet raken en ik geraakte er ook helemaal niet in.