Herta listened attentively to this account, which I shared with some anxiety. When I had finished, I waited to see if she had any questions, but there were none. She had heard and understood. She chose this moment to offer an explanation of her approach to the past, to silence and remembrance. “I want you to know that it’s not correct that I have forgotten everything.” That is what she said, her eyes fixed firmly on mine. “It is just that I decided a very long time ago that this was a period that I did not wish to remember. I have not forgotten. I have chosen not to remember.”
