Cold Crematorium: Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz

Cold Crematorium: Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz is a chilling factual account by József Debreczeni of his lived experiences in Auschwitz during and after WW2. Originally published in Hungarian in 1950, this reformat and re-release in translation from Macmillan on their St. Martin's imprint is 256 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links, which is helpful for finding information and names/references quickly and efficiently.

This is an absolute gut-punch of a memoir. The author was a trained journalist and his factual observations and lived experiences are wrenching, terrifying, and depressing. The scale of the casual brutality was mind boggling, so outrageously far outside comprehension that it's difficult to even place it in context.

Suppressed and ignored for more than 70 years, it's now translated and published in 15 new languages. This is emphatically *not* a happy read. It is, however, an incredibly important read (especially given the current state of world politics and the depredations occurring in large swathes of the planet). 

Although not annotated, it will find a place in important contemporary holocaust literature. An important book. The translation work by Paul Olchváry is seamless, and it flows very well without distraction from the stark horrific reality of the subject matter. 

Five stars. A wide publication from a major publisher, it should find a place on every public and post-secondary library shelf, as well as for readers of history and the holocaust. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes