Night of the Aurochs
Encyclopedia
Night of the Aurochs is an unfinished novel by Dalton Trumbo
(died 1976), published posthumously in 1979.
through the eyes of a Nazi
by the name of Grieban, commandant of the concentration camp at Auschwitz.
The book is compiled and edited by Robert Kirsch. The story starts out narrated in the first person through a series of letters written by Grieban, but later is written in the third person.
For authenticity Trumbo, as was in the case of Johnny Got His Gun
, tried to become the character that he was writing about.
Dalton Trumbo
James Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist, and one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of film professionals who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry...
(died 1976), published posthumously in 1979.
Plot introduction
Aurochs is an attempt by Trumbo to tell the tale of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
through the eyes of a Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
by the name of Grieban, commandant of the concentration camp at Auschwitz.
The book is compiled and edited by Robert Kirsch. The story starts out narrated in the first person through a series of letters written by Grieban, but later is written in the third person.
Plot summary
In his narration, Grieban tries to link the ethical nature of the Nazi movement to the American Civil War by saying the comparisons are undeniable: Fighting to keep the races pure and separated. Grieban may be looked at as the epitome of one fighting for the cause, but he himself fails to live up to his own high ideals of racial purity when he falls in 'love' with a Jewish woman during his years as a Nazi concentration camp commandant.Major themes
In the latter parts of the book one can see sympathy for Grieban, and Greiban is depicted as a broken man, living out the rest of his years in hiding, and dying with no one around who particularly cares about him.For authenticity Trumbo, as was in the case of Johnny Got His Gun
Johnny Got His Gun
Johnny Got His Gun is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumboand published by J. B. Lippincott company.-Plot:...
, tried to become the character that he was writing about.