1956 — 1st Edition: Original Boards with Original Dust Jacket. 8vo. 437 pages ; 21 cm. In the original Czech, later issued in English as A Box of Lives. This is a beautiful copy of the scarce first edition with the original illustrated dust jacket. Norbert Frýd (born Norbert Fried) (1913 1976) was a Czech writer, journalist and diplomat. He is known mainly for his autobiographical novel Krabice ivých (A Box of Lives, 1956) , in which he describes his experiences in Nazi concentration camps. During World War II, he was imprisoned in the Theresienstadt, Auschwitz and Dachau-Kaufering concentration camps
The plot is set in the last months of 1944, in the fictional concentration camp of Gigling. The main character, the young intellectual Zdenek Roubík, is an assistant in the camp office. One of his jobs is to maintain the card index of the inmates, hence the title of the novel, A Box of Lives. In the camp, Roubík gradually manages to overcome the apathy and depression caused by the death of his brother and he becomes more actively involved in camp life. The author attempts to depict everyday life, social interactions and relationships in the camp, and the work and hardships of the inmates. The description of the SS guards in the camp is a focus of particular attention
The novel was acclaimed by contemporary critics, and republished in numerous editions and translations. (Wikipedia, 2017) Frýds successful novel was published twice in Czech in 1956, with this 1st edition being much rarer than the stated 2nd edition. OCLC lists just 4 copies worldwide (Emory, Wisconsin, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz, Univ Of Basel) , and none in New York City or in the North East United States. Slight toning. And minor edgewear to dust jacket but overall both book and jacket are in very good condition. Attractive, rare, and important. (holo2-135-48)
