Kirjahaku

"At long last a worthy biography of one of the most fascinating and important figures in Holocaust History -- Rudi Vrba. Alan Twigg not only pulls together many new sources to illuminate Vrba's life before and after his escape from Auschwitz-Birkenau. He also guides the reader through the thicket of fictional and semifictional accounts of Vrba's remarkable escape that have obscured the historical truth until now." -- Christopher R. Browning, historian Holocaust scholar Raul Hilberg declared there were only two great Holocaust heroes -- the leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Mordechai Anielewicz) and Rudolf Vrba. After he escaped from Auschwitz-Birkenau in April of 1944, Vrba and his co-escapee Alfr d Wetzler co-authored the Vrba-Wetzler Report, credited with saving 200,000 Hungarian Jews. "No other single act in the Second World War," according to World War II historian Sir Martin Gilbert, "saved so many Jews from the fate that Hitler and the SS had determined for them." As one of the 20th century's most important whistleblowers, Vrba also stands out in Claude Lanzmann's Shoah as a handsome, charismatic and cheerful iconoclast. But the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Israel has limited public awareness of Vrba because he consistently criticized Jewish leaders for failing to adequately forewarn Jews of their fate. Holocaust Hero: The Life and Times of Rudolf Vrba is the introductory volume for a biography project to examine the remarkable life of Rudolf Vrba; including his decorated service with the partisans, his love affairs, his two marriages, his accomplishments as a Nazi hunter and his iconoclastic stamina to always speak the truth about the Holocaust. Compiled over a five-year period by a journalist who knew Vrba, Holocaust Hero provides previously unrevealed information about Vrba based on research at the FDR Presidential Library in New York and interviews with those who knew him, including Robin Vrba, his wife of 31 years, who speaks candidly about her husband for the first time. "Rudi was gorgeous and totally charismatic. And he was funny. I remember we were in Auschwitz for a documentary. We were doing the film inside the camp. Then it was about 5:30 and it was time to leave. We were trying to get out. The gate had been locked. It was really muddy. Everybody started to really fret. How are we going to get out? And Rudi said, loudly, so everyone could hear, 'Never mind. I know another way out '" -- Robin Vrba

The first non-Bennett to lead BC's Social Credit Party, a former mayor of Surrey, nurseryman, husband, father, defeated Vancouver mayoralty candidate. . . As minister of Human Resources and later, of Education, he became for some the most hated man in BC. During his time as Municipal Affairs minister he was an autocrat who pushed through the development of an ultra-expensive rapid transit system.Through extensive research and interviews with people who know Vander Zalm well, and through conversations with the former premier (1986-91) himself, Alan Twigg presents an engrossing picture of Vander Zalm from his childhood in Nazi-occupied Holland to the present.

Vancouver and its Writers introduces over 100 Vancouver related fiction authors, summarizes over 100 Vancouver novels, and locates 100 literary sites throughout the Lower Mainland.For both the curious tourist and the serious scholar, this unprecedented study also includes provocative assessments of Vancouver (pro and con) in its 100th year from contributors such as Margaret Laurence, Margaret Atwood, Anne Cameron, Robert Harlow etc.Plus there are behind-the-scenes anecdotes, photographs, directory info, critical evaluations and a map.

Vancouver journalist-broadcaster Alan Twigg examines Evans' earliest, out-of-print novels and magazine serials, as well as his masterpieces "Mist on the River" and "0 Time In Your Flight," and his poetry. The plot synopses and criticism make this an important reference guide for students of Canadian literature, and Evans' own comments on his craft provide practical guidance for those who wish to make a career in writing today.A biographical section on Evans' life spans the twentieth century and relies on in-depth interviews with the 93-year-old author to reveal the inside story of one of the most amazing writing careers in Canadian letters.The BC Book Prize Committee paid tribute to Hubert Evans by naming their Non-Fiction prize in his honour, awarded for the first time in 1985.

Reactions to Alan Twigg's first book of interviews with Canadian authors, "For Openers" ""For Openers" is much the best thing of its kind I've ever read, and much more difficult to achieve than the casual reader would guess. "-Hugh MacLennan "One can appreciate the zest, the engaging lack of stuffiness, with which Twigg confronts his authors."-Ken Adachi, "Toronto Star" ""For Openers" is probably the best popular introduction to Canadian Literature that one could own."-Charles Campbell, "The Ubyssey"

Tiny, island-dotted Belize, perched on the Caribbean, south of Mexico and east of Guatemala, is a fascinating blend of Creole, Mestizo, Maya, Garifuna, English, East Indian, Mennonite, Lebanese and Chinese cultures. With its colonial background (English remains the official language) and a history of fending off its Latin neighbours, Belize has emerged as a relatively stable democracy that is as much Caribbean as it is Central American.In Understanding Belize, Alan Twigg tells the story of the country, from its bizarre early days as a haven for pirates, through its colonial period as British Honduras, to its new status as an ecotourism mecca and a hotspot for Mayan archaeology. This lively history includes original photos, a comprehensive timeline and a feature on nation founder George Price, the longest serving democratically elected leader in history.Understanding Belize is an eye-opening alternative to the glossy tourist brochures. Lobster-and-orchid-rich Belize looks great from a hammock on Ambergris Caye, the place that inspired Madonna's song "La Isla Bonita," but don't go buying that seaside lot until you learn more about this beautiful--but problematic--paradise from the author of Cuba: A Concise History for Travellers.

One night in April, after a Sunday soccer game, Alan Twigg couldn't remember the names of his two sons or his wife-and he couldn't hold a pen. An emergency CAT scan revealed a large brain tumour squeezed against his motor cortex. 'Intensive Care' tells the story of why this was a good thing. 'Intensive Care' isn't a medical survival story; it's a yearlong reflection on how the imminence of death can enhance life. The grass gets greener. Confirmation that one is loved is exhilarating, more powerful than any drug. On May 26th, 'The Globe & Mail' ran a front page story about a recent medical study that concluded one in five Canadians will have a tumour in their head at some point in their lives. Two days later, Dr. Christopher Honey, a neurosurgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, removed the benign tumour from Alan Twigg's head during a five-hour operation. He started writing again, in the Intensive Care ward, three hours later.

This unprecedented volume about British Columbia's earliest authors and first explorers (prior to 1800) provides a fascinating range of characters, events and intrigues. The names Cook and Quadra ring a bell for most of us, as do Bering and Vancouver, but what about the first year-round European resident of BC, the Irish drunkard John Mackay? He voluntarily wintered at Nootka Sound in 1786 well before the more famous John Jewitt became the so-called 'white slave' of Chief Maquinna in 1803. A year later the first European woman to visit and write about British Columbia was the eighteen-year-old bride Frances Barkley. She circumnavigated the globe with her husband after making a lasting impression with her long red hair at Friendly Cove in 1787. And how much do we know about the Greek-born navigator Juan de Fuca? Or the Machiavelli of the maritime fur trade, John Meares? More than 50 pre-nineteenth-century characters are presented -- each with his or her own entry and bibliography. Twigg has researched and skilfully introduced the first people to write about the west coast of Canada, provided extracts, gathered images, taken photographs and let the composite story unravel like a mini-series. First Invaders concludes with Alexander Mackenzie and his over-land trek to the Pacific in 1793, after providing ample coverage of the many lesser-known Spaniards and Americans who arrived in the wake of Captain James Cook in 1778 -- and Captain Juan Pérez, the 'discoverer' of British Columbia, in 1774.