Latest news with #JorgeSemprun
Daily Record
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
'Whodunnit' as Scots library book resurfaces 13 years later
Staff from Faifley Library, Clydebank, were stunned when a book borrowed 13 years ago finally re-surface at a library 700-miles away in Denmark A Scots library is trying to get to grips with a real life ' whodunnit ' after one of its books, borrowed more than a decade ago, resurfaced – almost 700 miles away in Denmark. The book was loaned out from Faifley Library, in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, and was due to be returned in January 2012, but was never seen again. However, gobsmacked staff were stunned to receive the book, along with a letter from The Royal Library, in Copenhagen, explaining the mystery of where the book had been all this time. The book was discovered on the shelves of a library in the city of Aarhus, in eastern Denmark. The book, 'A Literature of Life' tells the story of its author Jorge Semprun who was 20-years-old – already an accomplished philosopher and poet – when he was arrested by the Nazis for activities in the French Resistance. He was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp. The book became a best-seller in France and is a deeply personal account not only of Semprun's time at Buchenwald, but also of the years before and after, of his painful attempts to write the book. It is considered to have had a profound contribution to Holocaust literature. To the amazement of the staff at the Faifley Library, the book was returned with a note, which read: 'A mystery?! During a cleanup at one of our institute libraries, a colleague found this book, which belongs to you. 'We have no idea how it ended up here! We have never borrowed a book with this title, and you are not listed in our address database, so it is quite a mystery! 'Perhaps a borrower brought the book from Scotland and accidentally returned it here in Aarhus, Denmark. 'In any case, we are now returning the book to you — maybe you have missed it.' Now staff from the library are looking to find out just how the book travelled the distance. A spokesperson for West Dunbartonshire Libraries said: 'Do you have any idea how Life or Literature by Jorge Semprun ended up in Denmark? It was due back for January 7 2012. Don't worry – we don't fine for late books! We would love to know how it got there. Can you solve the mystery?' The latest discovery is not the furthest that a British library book has been found this year. Back in February, a book borrowed from a Norfolk library was found more than 3,000 miles away, in Connecticut, USA. Norfolk Library and Information Service shared the story in Facebook. The book Animal Ark was brought home by a library user and his sister who visited The Norfolk Library in Connecticut. They ended up chatting with staff and when they discovered that the visitors were from Norfolk in the UK they gifted them the book to bring back home. Norfolk Library and Information Service said: 'Quite how someone got confused and returned it to the wrong place, we have no idea. As you can see, Swaffham Library is very different to The Norfolk Library. Oh, and there's the fact it's literally thousands of miles away and across an entire ocean. But still. It made it there, and it has now made it back!'
STV News
29-05-2025
- General
- STV News
Book missing from Scottish library for 13 years found in Denmark
A book borrowed from a library in Clydebank 13 years ago has finally been found – in Denmark. Staff at Faifley Library were stunned at the return of Literature or Life by Jorge Semprun, which had been last loaned out on January 7, 2012. A letter and a package sent from the Royal Danish Library in Aarhus revealed the piece of literature had been discovered during a clear-up of one of their libraries. The letter reads: 'During a cleanup at one of our institute libraries, a colleague found this book, which belongs to you. 'We have no idea how it ended up here. We have never borrowed a book with this title, and you are not listed in our address database, so it is quite a mystery. 'Perhaps a borrower brought the book from Scotland and accidentally returned it here in Aarhus, Denmark. West Dunbartonshire Council via Supplied The letter and package were sent from the Royal Danish Library. West Dunbartonshire Council via Supplied 'In any case, we are now returning the book to you – maybe you have missed it.' The book, published in 1997, tells the Spanish novelist's story of the French Resistance when he was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 and incarcerated. There is 'no way' of knowing how the book ended up in Denmark, or tracing the person who last borrowed the book, as a new library management system has been installed. Despite this, it has rejoined the collection at Faifley, with local councillors describing the ordeal as an 'unexpected surprise'. West Dunbartonshire Council via Supplied The book had been last loaned out on January 7, 2012. West Dunbartonshire Council via Supplied Councillor William Rooney, convener of Corporate Services, said: 'This is a fun tale of generosity from the Royal Danish Library in Aarhus, with staff there going out of their way to repatriate the book. They certainly deserve a big thanks for doing so. 'It sparks curiosity to think about how the book ended up in Denmark and whether it even visited other countries on its travels.' Councillor Lawrence O'Neill, vice convener of Corporate Services, said: 'What an unexpected surprise for staff at Faifley Library to receive this package with a book that had been missing for such a long time.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Glasgow Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Book missing from Clydebank library found 13 years later in Denmark
Literature or Life by Jorge Semprun disappeared from the shelves of Faifley Library after being checked out on January 7, 2012. More than a decade later, staff were left "stunned" after the book turned up in a package sent from the Royal Danish Library in Aarhus. (Image: West Dunbartonshire Council) (Image: West Dunbartonshire Council) A letter accompanying the piece of literature revealed it had been discovered during a clear-up of one of their libraries. (Image: West Dunbartonshire Council) READ NEXT: Meet the lucky Glasgow couple starting a new chapter after huge lottery win READ NEXT: Opening date revealed for global retailers brand-new Braehead store The letter reads: "During a cleanup at one of our institute libraries, a colleague found this book, which belongs to you. "We have no idea how it ended up here. We have never borrowed a book with this title, and you are not listed in our address database, so it is quite a mystery. "Perhaps a borrower brought the book from Scotland and accidentally returned it here in Aarhus, Denmark. "In any case, we are now returning the book to you - maybe you have missed it." The book, published in 1997, tells the Spanish novelist's story of the French Resistance when he was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 and incarcerated. Unfortunately, there is no way of tracing the person who last borrowed the book, as a new library management system has been installed, meaning it is unknown how it came to be in Denmark, and it will likely remain a mystery. Despite this, it has rejoined the collection at Faifley, with local councillors describing the ordeal as an "unexpected surprise". Councillor William Rooney, convener of Corporate Services, said: 'This is a fun tale of generosity from the Royal Danish Library in Aarhus, with staff there going out of their way to repatriate the book. They certainly deserve a big thanks for doing so. 'It sparks curiosity to think about how the book ended up in Denmark and whether it even visited other countries on its travels.' Councillor Lawrence O'Neill, vice convener of Corporate Services, said: 'What an unexpected surprise for staff at Faifley Library to receive this package with a book that had been missing for such a long time.'
Local Germany
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Local Germany
Buchenwald show keeps Holocaust memory alive as survivors pass away
On Sunday, she will be part of a group of 30 young French and German people joining a performance at the sombre remembrance ceremony, to keep alive the memory of the Holocaust. "If fascism is becoming a big thing again in Europe, you have to learn from history or somehow talk about it in order to learn from it," said Lange, 20. "It's very important since I feel people talk about it less and less." Their performance is based on the life of Spanish-born communist resistance activist Jorge Semprun, who survived Buchenwald and went on to become a noted novelist, screenwriter and Spanish culture minister before he died in 2011. Semprun was one of about 340,000 prisoners including Jews, Roma, homosexuals and Soviet prisoners of war who passed through Buchenwald or its annex Mittelbau-Dora, both located near the German city of Weimar. About 56,000 people were killed in Buchenwald -- some executed, others starved or worked to death -- and a further 20,000 died in Mittelbau-Dora, where inmates worked on the Nazis' V1 and V2 rockets. Advertisement German far-right resurgence Sunday's ceremony comes days before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the two sites by US troops on April 11, 1945. It also comes as far-right parties are making strong gains, among them the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has openly questioned Germany's culture of wartime remembrance. Sunday's performance is overseen by French theatre director Jean-Baptiste Sastre and French actress Hiam Abbass, who was born in Israel to a Palestinian family. Putting it on at the camp itself, the actors aged 18 to 25 feel a special connection to the dark past and the tales of horror and heroism. "Here in the camp we've certainly learned about the Holocaust," said 20-year-old Jamel Boujamaoui, a factory worker from a Paris suburb. "It's shown us a way of looking at things that school might not have." Berlin architect Rami El Younchi, 26, said that the "personal stories somehow make the whole thing even more real". In school and after, he said, "you learn something of the Holocaust, sure, but never as intensely as here". Advertisement Tattooed prison number Germany has long sought to atone for the crimes of the past, but many worry that times are changing. In Thuringia, the eastern state where Buchenwald is located, the AfD is the largest party in the legislature. The lessons of Buchenwald had "new urgency in a time when anti-Semitism, ethnic ideology and authoritarian thinking are becoming louder and taking hold on the streets", Thuringia's leader Mario Voigt said at a memorial service on Sunday. "Buchenwald teaches us that humanity is not an abstract idea, but a practice," said Voigt of the centre-right CDU. The past is ever present for 100-year-old Holocaust survivor Albrecht Weinberg, who spent decades in the United States before returning to Germany, the country of his birth. "I remember everything," he told AFP. "Everything." He said he has a visual reminder every time he washes his face. "I still have my prison number on my arm," he said, referring to the tattoo forced on him in his first camp, Auschwitz, in what was Nazi-occupied Poland. Advertisement Memories of Auschwitz Weinberg said of the Nazi regime: "A few big shots in the Nuremberg trial court case, they got the book thrown at them, but most of them got away." He said the first generations of Germans that came after "never thought about, never talked about what their grandparents did". Weinberg has long spoken at schools to raise awareness of the Holocaust and he now worries deeply about the resurgent AfD. In January, he handed back a German state honour he had received, after a bill demanding an immigration crackdown passed through parliament with AfD votes. Memories are still fresh for Weinberg, who was at Auschwitz before being marched to Mittelbau-Dora in 1945. Now frail and near the end of his life, he says young people must remember the past and engage in politics today. "They shouldn't be afraid to open up their mouth and say that something is not right -- not like it was in that time," he said. He is among a dwindling band of survivors. More than 300 came to Buchenwald for the 60th anniversary in 2005. This year, only nine are coming to Buchenwald, and Weinberg is the only survivor to make it to Mittelbau-Dora for the 80th anniversary ceremony.
