Berlin 1936 : Fascism, Fear, and Triumph Set Against Hitler's Olympic Games

A lively account of the 1936 Olympics told through the voices and stories of those who witnessed it, from an award-winning historian and biographer Berlin 1936 takes the reader through the sixteen days of the Olympiad, describing the events in the German capital through the eyes of a select cast of characters—Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats, sportsmen and journalists, writers and socialites, nightclub owners and jazz musicians. While the events in the Olympic stadium, such as when an American tourist breaks through the security and manages to kiss Hitler, provide the focus and much of the drama, it also considers the lives of ordinary Berliners—the woman with a dark secret who steps in front of a train, the transsexual waiting for the Gestapo's knock on the door, and the Jewish boy fearing for his future and hoping that Germany loses on the playing field. During the games the Nazi dictatorship was in many ways put on hold, and Berlin... A lively account of the 1936 Olympics told through the voices and stories of those who witnessed it, from an award-winning historian and biographer “Memorable...Hilmes’s deceptively jaunty, even comic tone echoes that of the Games themselves.” — Financial Times , Best Books of the Year Berlin 1936 takes the reader through the sixteen days of the Olympic Games, describing events in the German capital through the eyes of a select cast of characters: Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats, sportsmen and journalists, writers and socialites, nightclub owners and jazz musicians. While events in the Olympic stadium—from an American tourist breaking through security and kissing Hitler to Jesse Owens defying white supremacists with his record-breaking wins—provide the focus and much of the drama, this chronicle also considers the lives of ordinary Berliners: the woman with a dark secret who steps in front of a train, the transsexual waiting for the Gestapo’s knock on the door, and the Jewish boy fearing for his future and hoping that Germany loses on the playing field. During the games the Nazi dictatorship was in many ways put on hold. Berlin 1936 offers a last glimpse of the vibrant, diverse life of the city in the 1920s and 30s that the Nazis aimed to destroy. Vivid first-hand accounts bring to life Adolf Hitler's 1936 Olympics—the most controversial Games ever staged—in this epic sports history “masterpiece” (Telegraph).A Best Book of the Year: Guardian • The Telegraph • Daily Mail • Financial Times Berlin 1936 takes the reader through the sixteen days of the Olympic Games, describing events in the German capital through the eyes of a select cast of characters: Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats, sportsmen and journalists, writers and socialites, nightclub owners and jazz musicians. While events in the Olympic stadium—from an American tourist breaking through security and kissing Hitler to Jesse Owens defying white supremacists with his record-breaking wins—provide the focus and much of the drama, this chronicle also considers the lives of ordinary Berliners: the woman with a dark secret who steps in front of a train, the transsexual waiting for the Gestapo's knock on the door, and the Jewish boy fearing for his future and hoping that Germany loses on the playing field. During the games the Nazi dictatorship was in many ways put on hold. Berlin 1936 offers a last glimpse of the vibrant, diverse life of the city in the 1920s and 30s that the Nazis aimed to destroy. This short book takes us through the sixteen days in August 1936 when the Olympic Games were staged in Berlin. With a chapter dedicated to each day, it describes the events in the German capital through the eyes of a select cast of characters Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats, athletes and journalists, writers and actors, nightclub owners and socialites. While the competition inside the Olympic Stadium provides the focus and much of the drama from the triumph of Jesse Owens to the scandal when an American tourist breaks through security and kisses Hitler Oliver Hilmes also takes us behind the scenes and into the lives of ordinary Berliners: the woman with a dark secret who steps in front of a train, the transsexual waiting for the Gestapos knock on the door, and the Jewish boy hoping that Germany may lose in the sporting arena. During the Games Nazi oppression was temporarily lifted and the book offers us a last glimpse of the vibrant and diverse life in the German capital in the 1920 and early 1930s which the Nazis set out to destroy: it evokes the novels of Christopher Isherwood and Fassbinders Berlin Alexanderplatz but we are already entering the dark world of Falladas Alone in Berlin . A lively account of the 1936 Olympics told through the voices and stories of those who witnessed it, from an award-winning historian and biographerBerlin 1936 takes the reader through the sixteen days of the Olympiad, describing the events in the German capital through the eyes of a select cast of characters--Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats, sportsmen and journalists, writers and socialites, nightclub owners and jazz musicians. While the events in the Olympic stadium, such as when an American tourist breaks through the security and manages to kiss Hitler, provide the focus and much of the drama, it also considers the lives of ordinary Berliners--the woman with a dark secret who steps in front of a train, the transsexual waiting for the Gestapo's knock on the door, and the Jewish boy fearing for his future and hoping that Germany loses on the playing field. During the games the Nazi dictatorship was in many ways put on hold, and Berlin 1936 offers a last glimpse of the vibrant and diverse life in the German capital in the 1920s and 30s that the Nazis wanted to destroy "Berlin 1936 takes the reader through the sixteen days of the Olympiad, describing the events in the German capital through the eyes of a select cast of characters--Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats, sportsmen and journalists, writers and socialites, nightclub owners and jazz musicians. While the events in the Olympic stadium, such as when an American tourist breaks through the security and manages to kiss Hitler, provide the focus and much of the drama, it also considers the lives of ordinary Berliners--the woman with a dark secret who steps in front of a train, the transsexual waiting for the Gestapo's knock on the door, and the Jewish boy fearing for his future and hoping that Germany loses on the playing field. During the games the Nazi dictatorship was in many ways put on hold, and Berlin 1936 offers a last glimpse of the vibrant and diverse life in the German capital in the 1920s and 30s that the Nazis wanted to destroy."--Publisher's description During The Games The Nazi Dictatorship Was In Many Ways Put On Hold, And Berlin 1936 Offers A Last Glimpse Of The Vibrant And Diverse Life In The German Capital In The 1920s And 30s That The Nazis Wanted To Destroy. Saturday, 1 August 1936 -- Sunday, 2 August 1936 -- Monday, 3 August 1936 -- Tuesday, 4 August 1936 -- Wednesday, 5 August 1936 -- Thursday, 6 August 1936 -- Friday, 7 August 1936 -- Saturday, 8 August 1936 -- Sunday, 9 August 1936 -- Monday, 10 August 1936 -- Tuesday, 11 August 1936 -- Wednesday, 12 August 1936 -- Thursday, 13 August 1936 -- Friday, 14 August 1936 -- Saturday, 15 August 1936 -- Sunday, 16 August 1936 -- What Became Of...? Oliver Hilmes ; Translated From The German By Jefferson Chase. Originally Published In German As Berlin 1936: Sechzehn Tage Im August--title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 290-297) And Index.