Girl Number 67203 at Ravensbrück is a time capsule of stories that have frequently been underrepresented. The book is both a fascinating and harrowing account of Albanian and Greek womens resistance to fascism and their experiences imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. There is a sort of knowledge that comes from a book like this that can only really be obtained through reading individual experiences rather than general information about the horrors of these war years. The introduction and footnotes from the editors as well as the collection of complementary letters, articles, interviews, and photographs situate Liri Xhunga’s memoir is in space and time in a way that further enriches the reading experience.
Full disclosure: A dear friend of mine- Adrienne M. Naylor- is one of the editors and translator of this book. To be honest, this is the sort of review I am always most anxious to write. I do my best to be honest in reviews. What if the book ends up being terrible? I am glad this was not the case with this book. I did want to pad my review a little to make it more than an endorsement of a friend’s work. So, I asked her a few questions about the process of editing and translating the text.
Since it was written in Albanian and then translated in German with German notes added, I was curious how that went. She said that went to the source language for each thing- translating from Albanian and German individually- and that she was in touch with Cord Pagenstecher- who was cooperative- in terms of editing. She also fact checked Cord’s information and overall they were in agreement. Naylor has a passion for history and accuracy that I not only trust but also benefit from when I have questions about any number of topics. She is a voracious reader of war memoirs and especially seeks out those from women whose stories often go unheard. I appreciated the entries from the editors that go over some of the history as I myself am not educated about Albanian history. Any reader can go into this book and parse the info without needing to know the story ahead of time.
Xhunga’s memoir itself is on of a communist partisan fighter captured at only 17 years old and held for almost a year. The resistance movements she was part of were full of bravery and the time she spent imprisoned full of horror and sorrow. There were moments of light even in the darkest times as the women supported one another and often used joy and music as forms of resistance. One story repeated by multiple women was the execution of Fato Berberi. This person dear to all of them was taken and hanged by the Nazis. Even in the face of death, she urged her comrades to remain strong and not give the Nazis the despair they desired. She even tidied herself up before going out to die. The passion for Xhunga’s beliefs and the love of her comrades and fellow prisoners is clear through her writing. I am forever in awe of these women and girls held their heads high while facing torture and execution at all, let alone at such young ages. The care and cooperation they offered one another across culture and language barriers is something central to any sort of survival.
Xhunga’s liberation by soviet military was not the end. They were briefly imprisoned by the USA military as well and shuffled around from place to place. She was eventually able to return to Albania and have a family. Developing Multiple Sclerosis resulted in disability and paralysis, but she was able to write her memoir with the help of her husband, Miro. The editors mention that it is difficult to know how much Miro influenced her writing. However, it is fairly clear that he did not write it himself nor control her style as the following epilogue he pens is in a different style. The inclusion of a letter from, an article about, and an interview with her fellow survivors add depth and legitimacy to the events in the memoir.
Most discussion of (authoritarian) communism and speaking of leaders like Stalin is positive. There is some inclusion of violence committed by communist regimes in one of the entries at the end, but not much. I asked Naylor if there is any evidence that these women changed their minds after learning of Stalin’s own executions and imprisonments of people. She said that Albania’s own communist regime was so brutal that speaking out against it was quite difficult to do if not impossible in publishing. I can say for certain though, nothing creates a breeding ground for authoritarians to manipulate the vulnerable and take over much like fascism. Believing in a better more cooperative society and fighting for that is admirable even if those who came to power used said power to destroy.
Girl Number 67203 at Ravensbrück and books like it are critical in order to preserve and fully understand the scope of resistance movements, war, and cultures of the time. There is a place for more big picture information of course, but the intimate nature of what people experience- from their love for one another to the depths of despair- can only be captured by individuals telling their stories. I am grateful to have read this chunk of history that I had never heard about before.
This was also posted to my goodreads and storygraph.