The Island of Extraordinary Captives: A True Story of an Artist, a Spy and a Wartime Scandal

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Simon Parkin

The Island of Extraordinary Captives

A True Story of an Artist, a Spy and a Wartime Scandal

Simon Parkin

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Paperback

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English

Sceptre
08 February 2022

History; Military history; Second World War; Refugees & political asylum

The police came for Peter Fleischmann in the early hours. It reminded the teenager of the Gestapo's moonlit roundups he had narrowly avoided at home in Berlin. Now, having endured a perilous journey to reach England - hiding from the rampaging Nazi thugs at his orphanage, boarding a Kindertransport to safety - here the aspiring artist was, on a ship bound for the Isle of Man, suspected of being a Nazi spy. What had gone wrong?

In May 1940, faced with a country gripped by paranoia, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the internment of all German and Austrian citizens living in Britain. Most, like Peter, were refugees who had come to the country to escape Nazi oppression. They were now imprisoned by the very country in which they had staked their trust.

Painstakingly researched from dozens of unpublished first-hand accounts and previously classified documents, The Island of Extraordinary Captives tells, for the first time, the story of history's most astonishing internment camp and of how a group of world-renown artists, musicians and academics came to be seen as 'enemy aliens'.

The Island of Extraordinary Captives is the story of a battle between fear and compassion at a time of national crisis. It reveals how Britain's treatment of refugees during the Second World War led to one of the nation's most shameful missteps, and how hope and creativity can flourish in even the most challenging circumstances.

By: Simon Parkin
Imprint: Sceptre
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 640g
ISBN: 9781529347197
ISBN 10: 152934719X
Pages: 496
Publication Date: 08 February 2022
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Simon Parkin is an award-winning British writer and journalist. He is the author of A Game of Birds and Wolves, a contributing writer for the New Yorker and critic for the Observer newspaper. He lives in West Sussex.

Reviews for The Island of Extraordinary Captives: A True Story of an Artist, a Spy and a Wartime Scandal

Extraordinary yet previously untold true story...meticulously researched...it's also taut, compelling, and impossible to put down * Daily Express * By shining a light upon the government's decision to intern the innocent, Simon Parkin's eye-opening, insightful and brilliantly written book serves as a timely reminder of the dangers of populism * Daily Mirror * PRAISE FOR A GAME OF BIRDS AND WOLVES: Compelling * Sunday Times * A triumph * Daily Mirror * Gripping -- Jonathan Dimbleby History writing at its best * Booklist * Splendid . . . Simon Parkin's book rips along at full sail and is full of personality and personalities * Sunday Express * Vivid, engaging * New Yorker *