Achilles Heel: Greek Myths and the Holocaust Girl
by Hélène Waysbord
“He who crosses the portal where ‘Arbeit macht frei’ stands enters a radically different world, far from the gods, far from men… Panic in its purest form, without voice, without words.”
Everything fell apart in the autumn of 1942 for Hélène Waysbord when, at just six years old, her parents were deported and she was hidden in a French rural area. Theoretically safe, but with lost identity. In a succession of short chapters wandering between the present, the past and mythology, the author tells us how the figure of Achilles has given meaning to her personal life, but also to her life as a woman committed to our contemporary history. An emotional reflection on how myths help build bridges where life breaks certainties, and how when we contemplate ancient heroes with the same weaknesses and concerns as ours, we are confirmed that all life is, deep down, a touch-up. mythological. This edition includes an anthology of the passages from the ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Odyssey’ to which she alludes throughout the work.
“A wonderful book, sparkling with poetic spark, that teaches us how ancient stories can illuminate life.” ‘Le Point’
Hélène Waysbord. She is a specialist in issues of memory and cultural transmission, honorary president of the Izieu Children’s House association and professor of classical languages. In 2008 she participated with Simone Veil in a mission to introduce Holocaust teaching in schools. She is the author of several books such as ‘L’Amouur sans visage’, ‘Alex ou le portedrapeau’ or ‘La chambre de Léonie’.
Source: https://algunoslibrosbuenos.com/talon-de-aquiles
