The Muselmann at the Water Cooler (Reference Library of Jewish Intellectual History) - Hardcover
Book 1 of 2: Reference Library of Jewish Intellectual History
Synopsis
In his memoir, The Muselmann at the Water Cooler, Eli Pfefferkorn encapsulates the human condition through his own experiences as a Holocaust survivor. Told from a double perspective, this memoir provides a compelling description of a preteen caught in the grinding cogs of a well-oiled machine designed to destroy and the wisdom of a seasoned elderly man who filters his harrowing experiences of the past through the prism of the present. The concentration camps, describes Pfefferkorn, are human laboratories on a huge scale that provide insights into the complexity of human nature as revealed in extreme conditions. Though an experience beyond the pale, it offers nevertheless an exercise in the art of survival. The vicissitude of human nature in extreme situations was manifested in the behavior of the inmate in the concentration camps. Facing the threat of annihilation, the inmate resorted to survival tactics best described as''red in tooth and claw'' to quote Alfred Tennyson, tactics that would be abhorrent to him in normal society. At this crossroads of life and death the biological survival impulse determined his behavior -- particularly that of the elite inmate who lorded over the subordinate inmates under his regime. After liberation, those who survived returned to normative patterns of behavior adjusting to civilized society. Similarly, those who joined the ranks of the SS, were upright citizens -- lawyers, doctors, ministers, who after renting their services, returned to their respective communities, harnessed their intellectual talents to contribute to German economic miracle and participated in the democratic process. Through the clarifying writing process, Pfefferkorn considers the very essence of human nature and through its evolution, the human condition has not changed significantly since Cane slew Abel. The inevitable conclusion from this human conduct is that what we are rests on where we are and at what particular historical junction.
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About the Author
Eli Pfefferkorn (Ph.D. Brown University) is a professor at Haifa and Tel-Aviv Universities and a guest lecturer at Brown University. He serves as Director of Research at the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. He is a columnist for the Literary Supplement of Haaret and editor of Hebrew Literature in Translation. His publications include numerous articles on the Holocaust.
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