«Sie werden doch Florenz nicht bombardieren». Max Krell witness to war

Abstract

This contribution aims at presenting Max Krell’s memories Das alles gab es einmal. After setting in Italy during the Nazi persecution in Germany, the German-Jewish writer spends the rest of his life in Florence. From this Italian perspective he observes the German-Jewish migration to Italy as well as the German Occupation during the World War II. His work will be analysed for its relevance in the process of the storytelling of the war, from the First until the Second World War. Reference to other war writers such as Remarque and Hemingway will be also made, since Krell shows to be thematically related to them. He shares with them the idea of human solidarity to contrast the brutality of the war.