Reinhard Kaiser

A sad, short gem of a real-life WWII love story.

In 1991 Reinhard Kaiser wins a carton filled with documents at a Frankfurt stamp auction. He finds letters written in 1935 and on, from Rudolph Kaufmann, a young Jewish geologist to Ingeborg Magnusson, a Swedish woman he met in Bologna, while she was vacationing and he was working. He was there because he had been fired from his post at Greifswald University because of the changing political situation due to the Nazi's evil power spreading through much of Europe. Rudy is smitten with Inge and writes to her for the next few years about his job searches, his return to Germany, his "trilobites," and his love for her. Despite travel and money difficulties they manage a few romantic interludes before life takes a turn for the worse.

After reading Rudy's letters, Kaiser considers writing a novel based on these letters, but after researching, finding and interviewing Kaufmann and Magnusson family and friends, he decides to publish the letters as is. Kaufmann's letters are clear and beautiful and stand on their own. Reinhard Kaiser's explanations, research and follow-up allow us to understand the letters in context and complete the story of Rudy and Inge. It is an exquisite time-capsule of war-time love.

How many thousands of love stories are out there that we will never know about?… (més)