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rerrrrndx ux lint nnl_\ that there rx rnnrn lnr' nne rnnre tnnlrrhutinn nn IIIIler'. hrrl I‘ernrndx ux alxn llH‘J. pnv.erlu| lellllll ean he. \Inre than that: uh}. lrelrnn rx rrnpnr'lanl In hrxlnr'real trnderxlandrng. \n arnnunt nl dr‘_\ laelual aeenunlx enuld dn \r. llal \Iarler dnex here.
llre xlnr_\ hegrnx \kllll a lhenr_\. ll lnnkx at rurnnurx nl llrtler'x xuppnxed .lev. Ixh gr'andlalher' max lux hatred dr'r\en h} hrx lear nl hetng part .IL'\‘.l\ll ’r. then e\pnxex the rnultrple meextunux relalrnnxlupx in hrx s\uxlrran lalnrl_\ tree; the rnlerenee rx lhal thrx inexx_\ gene pnnl might help e\plarn \xhat rrrade lnrrr. 'I here rx eer'tainl} xnrnethrng rn lhIx. ’l'he nar'ralnr'x aeenunl xa_\x IIlIIk'l.\ tlL'\|‘lL;tl‘lL' ILIIIIL'I .\lHl\ Illitl‘l‘lL'tI Illl‘L‘L' trmex. hIx lhrr'd \\ rle Klara \\ax alxn hrx daughter". herxell the pr'nduel nl a nne nrghl xland \xith hix xrxter .lnhanna. In her delenee. Klara didn‘t knn\\ thix; xhe Ihnught xhe \\ax nnl_\ llix nieeel
\ hundred nr xn pagex paxx helnie lliller hunxell appearx. hlrt h_\ tlial time r‘eaderx are in tin dnuht \xhat an uuuxual. unxtahle. unhapp} lannl} he rx hnrn intn. nr' Ihe genelie e\plnxinn \xaitrug In happen \\hen little nne Iextieled .\dn|l ix hnrn. Klar'a‘x lirxl three ehildren all died helnr‘e he \xax hnrn. xn xhe xmnlherx her ne\\ xnn \\llll ln\e nIIl nl lear‘ he \\ill lea\e her. \Vhen
‘MAILER HAS CONSISTENTLY CARRIED TROUBLE WITH HIM FOR
60 YEARS'
|rttle .\di \llti\\x xignx nl' xur\i\ing inlaer xhe ean r'eluxe him nnlhing. \Vhen he rehelx xhe lxeellx tllllL‘l. When he deleeatex Lllld \III'L‘ltth llIL‘ rexultx all «net the larnih hnrne. Klara dnexn't gel augr}. xhe iuxt eleanx tip the rnexx hel'nr'e hix lather xeex it. .'\gain. the authnr ix making a quiet xuggextinn here: heeauxe nn nne tnld him nnt tn dn xn ax a ehild. llitler grexx tip In xpread hix xhil all n\ er the \\nr'ld. .-\x the narr‘alnr tellx ux: 'e\i| ehildren ean ixxue nieel_\ l'r‘nrn the man Iming rnntherx.‘
'l'hix ix quite a heginning. hul ex en al thix pnint the xlnr_\ haxn't reall} xtarted. ll enterx a \xhnle ne\\ dirnenxinn \\ hen the narr'alnr' r'e\ealx himxell'; the hnnk ix heing ‘ur‘itten' h_\ an axxixtant tn the li\ il ()ne hirnxell‘. \\ hn gnex nn In e\plain hn\\ he hax heerr under nr'derx In nurture .-\dnll‘ lliller. enxur'ing that ax an adtrlt he heenrnex a lull enmer't In the de\i|'x xide. .\'n\\ he ix read} In tell the xInr'_\ nl' hn\\ it happened. 'l‘hix npenx tip a \xhnle nexx xpir‘itual dirnenxinn In the nn\e| \xhieh inlrndueex a ende language uxed h} angelx and de\i|x. dexerihing lightx het\\een gnnd and e\il that \Iltl\\ human heingx ax mere pa\\nx in a higger xerap In rule the planet.
\nrman .\lailer agreed In appear in perxnn al llll\ _\C;tl‘.\ BUNK I't‘\ll\;ll I‘lll lltm x;t_\\ IIIC llll‘L‘L‘ .v\x ha\ e kept him a\\a_\: axthrna. age and arthritix. lIe \\i|l he appearing h} \idenlinlx lhnugh. uxing Margaret .-\t\\nnd'x irnentrnn. l“Hi—'l‘x‘n. tn \igtl hnnlxx lrnrn ael‘nxx tlle .-\tlantie. .\'nhnt|} pretendx it'x nnt dixappninting lhal .\lailer' ean‘t he in l-Idinhurgh. hul there Ina) nnI he man_\ rnnre nppnrlunitiex In xee and hear nne
nl‘ the great rnaxler'x; rrn dnuht the de\il himxell
\xnuld apprn\ e nl‘ anynne Ir}ing In heg. hnrrnu nl‘ xteal ;l IICKCI In lk‘ lllCl'L‘.
Norman Mailer, 12 Aug, 4.30pm, £7 (£5); Rodge Glass is part of Ballads of the Book, 16 Aug, 8pm, £8 (£6).
Brothers in arms
Katrin Himmler was born into a family with a dark history, but has only now been able to write about it. She tells Doug Johnstone about reliving the past
nxt nl ux ha\e larnrl} rnernherx that \\e lind rather ernhar'raxxrng. nr that are [‘H\\ll‘l_\ e\en drxrepulahle. httl that xnr'l nl ln\\ grade lamrlral rexenlrnent rx plrl rn perxpeetne h} lalkrng In Katrrn llirnmler'. ller great unele \\.t\ ||ernrreh llirnrnler‘. ||rIler‘x rrght hand man. heaan the SS and elnel per‘petralnr' nl the ||nlneauxl .\x lar' haek ax xhe ean r'emernher'. Kalrrn‘x larnrl_\ ha\e dixlaneed lhenixehex lrnrn lleinrreh‘x ahhnrrenl heha\rnur. hul ax xhe gnl nlder and married a dexeendenl nl the l’nlrxh
.le\\x per'xeeuted h} the \a/rx. the ‘WE LEFT IN NO Ihe rexull ix Ihe enthralling llrt'
need In e\arnirre her larnih hixlnr'_\ heeame an rleh xhe had In xer'ateh,
llr'mm/rr' li’rnI/rt rt.
\\ lliell e\arninex Ihe I‘elalinnxhip helueen her gr'andlather l'.I‘Ile and hix l\\n hrnlherx llernrieh and (iehhar'd. ' ‘\\ hen rn_\ huxhand and I had nur
xnn. it heearne elear I had In hreak
\\ itli the larnih lraditinn nl nnI xpealxing ahnut llre paxlf xhe xa}x. ‘l \xanted In gn e m} xnn ax mueh inlnrrnatinn ax pnxxihle. xn tlral when he xtar'lx axkrng duextinnx ahnul m} larnil_\. al leaxt I ean anx\\ er hirn.‘
'l‘he l'arnil_\ line \\;rx ;r|\\;r}x lhal lleinr‘ieh \xax lhe hlaek xheep. htll ax xhe rexearehed. Kalr‘in dixen\ered lhat hix hrnlherx and nther l'arnil} rnernherx \\ ere alxn enthuxiaxtie .\'a/ix. and irnplieated in duhinux heha\inur. alheil
lint nn llre xeale nt Inaxx murder llenelilmg lrnrn axxneralrnn \\ rlh Ilernrreh. man} llrrnrnlerx turned a hhnd e_\e In gnrngx nn. nr e\en helped llernr’reh In rnnre drxrepulahle duIrex_ Klan} trrnex during rn_\ rexear'eh II \\.t\ quite drllieult lnr rrre ln gn nn.' Kalrm adnulx '\x thtngx \\ ere r’e\ea|ed II heearne rnnre and rnnre xhnelxrng. \\e dexeendentx \xere lelt in tin dnuhl ahnul \xhat llernrreh had dnne llut hix aetinnx eaxl a large xhadnu that the text nl llre l'arni|_\ \xer'e xlandrng m. man} nl lhern hiding In there '
Katr‘rn'x hnnk rx adrnrrahl_\ lL‘\L‘l IIL'.I\IL'\I. lt lllL‘lletlltIlh rnernnrr nl an e\ll'anldltlal‘_\ l'arnrl_\. and the authnr ne\et r'exnrtx In hrxtrinnrex. pl'elerrrng ln let the laelx xpeak lnr‘ tlrernxelxex. ()r'igrrialh \xr‘itten ax xell therap}. tlle hnnk xlandx ax a lexlalllelll tn the enduring legaex nl gurll the \lt/ix lell hehrnd lnr luture gener'atinnx. ‘ll \xax \er'_\ pairrlrrl lnr Ill} lather tn read it. In read ahnul hn\\ hix lather and unelex heha\ ed and lhnught.‘ xa_\x Kalr‘in. "I'm eur'rentl} tr_\ing tn mile a hnnk ahnul nther Na/i larrliliex. \\hieh ix a lnt eaxiel' lnr rne. lt‘x hnrrihle ennugh tn gn inln Ihexe xtnr‘iex. hill at leaxl \xith thix nexx hnnk il dnexn't tnueh me perxnnall}.'
Katrin Himmler, 13 Aug, noon, £7 (£5).
>1 . ; x ' THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 13