This is a magnificent book, both poignant, and
chilling. Ultimately it stands as a testimony to how family stories can
grip across generations, and how fierce the impulse to right wrongs. It
is very moving indeed.’
Edmund de Waal, author of The Hare With Amber Eyes
The passionate, gripping true
story of one man's single-minded quest to reclaim what the Nazis stole
from his family — their beloved art collection — and to restore their
legacy.
Simon Goodman's grandparents came from German-Jewish banking
dynasties, and perished in concentration camps. That's almost all he
knew about them — his father rarely spoke of their family history or
heritage. But when he passed away, and Simon received his father's old
papers, a story began to emerge.
The Gutmanns rose from a small Bohemian hamlet to become one of
Germany's most powerful banking families. They also amassed a
magnificent, world-class art collection that included works by Degas,
Renoir, Botticelli, Guardi, and many, many others. But the Nazi regime
snatched from them everything they had worked to build: their remarkable
art, their immense wealth, their prominent social standing, and their
very lives.
Simon grew up in London with little knowledge of his father's efforts
to recover their family's prized possessions. It was only after his
father's death that Simon began to piece together the clues about the
Gutmanns' stolen legacy and the Nazi looting machine. Through
painstaking detective work across two continents, Simon has been able to
prove that many works belonged to his family, and to successfully
secure their return.
Goodman's dramatic story, told with great heart, reveals a rich
family history almost obliterated by the Nazis. It is not only the
account of a twenty-year long detective hunt for family treasure, but an
unforgettable tale of redemption and restoration.
Källa: Bokförlaget Scribner
Boktitel:The Orpheus Clock. The search for my family’s art treasures stolen by the Nazis
Författare: Simon Goodman
Bokförlag: Scribner
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Simon Goodman |
Born in London shortly after World War II and educated at the French
Lycée in South Kensington, then at Munich University, Simon Goodman
entered the music business in the late 1960s, specialising in
recognising new talent and breaking new British artists abroad. In 1994
Simon’s father died leaving behind hints of a hitherto clandestine
quest. For the last 15 years Simon has devoted his time exclusively to
tracking his family’s lost legacy, stolen during WWII. In the process he
has become a skilled art detective, able to conduct his research in
several languages. Etiketter: Nya böcker