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Oct 30, 2017 (Your local time)
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LOT 132:

Salamandra by K. Tzentik – An Original Copy of Part of the Book that has Never been Printed with the Author's Glosses

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Sold for: $900
Start price:
$ 500
Estimated price:
$3,000 - $5,000
Auction house commission: 20%
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Salamandra. K. Tzet[nik] Heftling: 135633 [1946]. Typewritten on thin paper. First section. 175 leaves. Yiddish. 33 cm.
An original copy with handwritten corrections by the author of the first section of the well-known book 'Salamandra', which is a Yiddish composition about a Jewish family in Poland during the Holocaust. The author, Yechiel De-Nur, chose the penname K.Tzetnik. Before us is the original Yiddish text written by the author. Actually, there are several versions of 'Salamandra'; however, the original Yiddish text has never been printed!
Yechiel De-Nur (1917-2001) was born in Poland and survived the Auschwitz extermination camp, where his complete family perished. He dedicated his time to writing about experiences from the camp. He wrote approximately 15 books, which contain very difficult descriptions of the life at the camp and is considered the most fertile Holocaust writer. His penname, K. Tzentnik or K. Tzet is an abbreviation of the Yiddish word ' Konzentrationslager', which means 'a resident of a concentration camp'. His true identity was revealed when he testified during the Eichmann Trial. He said only nine sentences on the witness stand and then fainted and was hospitalized for several months. In his testimony he described Auschwitz as "another planet".
Immediately after his release from the camp, he wrote 'Salamandra'. The manuscript was translated into Hebrew and was first published in 1946, a short while after De-Nur immigrated to the Land of Israel. The original Yiddish manuscript was never published and it contains passages that were omitted from the Hebrew translation. These passages were written in the special language of the ghettoes and camps, a language that was lost in the translation. Thus, the significance of the original manuscript before us, which in addition, contains the author's handwritten glosses!
Attached material: a book by Yechiel Shintoch: 'Salamandra, Mitos Ve'Historiya Be'Kitvei K. Tzetnik, published by Karmel, 2009 and photocopies of additional articles describing the significance of the manuscript before us.
Condition: Good. Stains and tears.

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