 First edition (Hebrew) | |
| Author | Aharon Appelfeld |
|---|---|
| Original title | באדנהיים עיר נופש (translit.: Badenhaim `ir nofesh) |
| Translator | Dalya Bilu |
| Language | Hebrew |
| Genre | Allegorical,Satire,Historical novel |
| Publisher | David R. Godine (translation) |
Publication date | 1978 |
| Publication place | Israel |
Published in English | November 1980 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback &Paperback) |
| Pages | 148 pp (Hardback English-language edition) |
| ISBN | 0-87923-342-7 (translation hardback edition) &ISBN 0-7043-8026-9 (translation paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 6603140 |
| 892.4/36 19 | |
| LC Class | PJ5054.A755 B3413 1980 |
Badenheim 1939 is an Israeli novel byAharon Appelfeld. First published inHebrew in 1978 as באדנהיים עיר נופש (Badenhaim `ir nofesh, 'resort town Badenheim'), it was his first novel to be translated intoEnglish, and was subsequently translated into many other languages. Described as "the greatest novel of the Holocaust",[1] this novel is anallegoricalsatire that tells the story of a fictional resort town inAustria shortly before its residents are relocated toNazi concentration camps in German-occupiedPoland.[2]
Badenheim is a primarilyJewish resort town in (German-occupied)Austria that hosts a yearly arts festival, organized by Dr. Pappenheim. Slowly, theNazi regime, represented by the "Sanitation Department", begins shutting down the town and preparing to move its residents toEastern Europe. The citizens begin blaming each other and losing their minds. Despite impending doom, others remain optimistic and refuse to see the comingHolocaust.
Aharon Appelfeld first published the novel as a short story entitled "Badenheim 1939" in the Hebrew journalMoznaim 36 (Dec. 1972), pp. 21-35.[3] An English translation by Betsy Rosenberg was published inAriel 35 (1974), pp. 3-23. That translation was reprinted inTriQuartely 39 (1977). The short, original version is worth reading and of great interest to scholars. Edited by Ken Frieden, Betsy Rosenberg's revised translation of the story was reprinted inThe B.G. Rudolph Lectures in Judaic Studies, New Series, Lecture 3; preface + pp. 1–30.
In 1995, an adaptation was directed and choreographed by Ian Spink, written by Sian Evans with music by Orlando Gough, first staged atRiverside Studios in Hammersmith, London.[4]
In 2010, a stage version of the novel was staged, written by SirArnold Wesker with music by Julian Phillips, at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London in November 2010.[5]