Die twee lewens van Dieter Ondracek by André Krüger

Die twee lewens van Dieter Ondracek (Afrikaans Debut Novel, Eerste Uitgawe)

A Railway Engineer's Stolen Identity and the Nazi Past That Follows Him to South Africa

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Die twee lewens van Dieter Ondracek
• Author: André Krüger
• Publisher: Human & Rousseau, Kaapstad
• Publication Date: 2012
• ISBN-13: 9780798156721
• Edition Details: Eerste uitgawe (First Edition), Human & Rousseau, 2012.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated paperback wrappers, perfect bound, with a wintry railway-station photographic cover.
• Physical Format: Thick trade-size softcover. No plates or maps.
• Language: Afrikaans

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Wraps: The illustrated wrappers are fairly clean on both front and back covers. The spine shows some light creasing and wear along the edges, slight whitening along the spine edge and a small dark mark at the foot of the spine.
• Interior: The text block is tight and complete. The pages are toned and yellowed, with browning along the edges of the page block and a slightly rough fore-edge on the first leaf. There is no writing, stamps or markings.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Die twee lewens van Dieter Ondracek (The Two Lives of Dieter Ondracek) is an Afrikaans novel moving between Nazi Germany and postwar South Africa. Its hero is a railway engineer who escapes the ruins of the Third Reich and builds a new life under the name Gerhard Weber.

In South Africa he finds hope in his railway work and in a neighbour's young daughter and her mother, until a former SS colleague, Kurt Wolff, appears and his past begins to close in on him.

Published by Human & Rousseau in 2012, it was André Krüger's debut novel and won the Universiteit van Johannesburg debut prize. A review in Tydskrif vir Letterkunde compared its readability to thrillers by Frederick Forsyth and Deon Meyer.

Author Profile: André Krüger

André Krüger was born in Johannesburg and studied law and philosophy before leaving legal practice for the book trade.

Die twee lewens van Dieter Ondracek was his debut novel. His other works include Komplot (Human & Rousseau, 2015), 'n Redelike hoeveelheid moeilikheid and Geen Engel Nie.