About 30 years ago (before I was born), it felt as though there was a preponderance of narrative literature which detailed the experience of people—often people of a Jewish background—during the Second World War at the hands of the Nazi regime.
It is my totally unsubstantiated opinion that we as a society were still coming to grips with the scale of brutality and horror that had been undertaken across a relatively short period of time, as much as we marvelled at the strength of character it might take to survive such experiences. I guess it was in part also because many of the people who had lived through such horror were reaching their old age, and this was a way of ensuring that their stories were honoured, and in recording such stories, hopefully ensuring they were not doomed to repeat.
Every now and again, a book, film, or documentary will emerge which revisits this time; All the Light We Cannot See, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, are two books that immediately spring to mind (controversies surrounding the latter, aside), or Caging Skies, later adapted into the film, Jojo Rabbit. If I had to take a stab at why we remain so fascinated by the events surrounding WWII, it’s in part because they undeniably shaped the world we now inhabit, but also because there remain personal, tangible links to these events. As this generation diminishes in number, it feels increasingly important to preserve their stories, in part to understand from where we come, but also because there is the sense that we need to preserve the lessons of their personal tribulations.
The Freedom Circus by journalist Sue Smethurst is a one of those loving tributes to the people who have shaped our lives today (in this instance, the great-grandmother of her husband), which in its telling is a haunting reminder of why we fight so hard to preserve peace, and eradicate prejudice whenever it arises. Having pieced together the events of Mindla’s life through interviews with Mindla herself, and research that spanned several countries, Smethurst provides a narrative account which tells the story of a young woman living in Warsaw who meets and falls in love with Kubush, a performer in one of Poland’s premier circuses. As their relationship blooms, the shadow of wall falls across Poland, and it is divided by the Russian and German armies while Kubush is travelling with the circus. Mindla makes the difficult decision to set out and find her husband, with their small child in tow. Thus begins the journey which ultimately ends with their emigration to Australia after the war.
What I really appreciated about Mindla’s story is the fact that it took us through experiences which aren’t often part of the most-discussed elements of World War II. We often think of concentration camps and gas chambers, German occupation, or the brutality of fighting on the front. While these elements are present on the very periphery of the story – the savagery of German occupation the most prominent of them across the book, Mindla’s experience with the Soviet-controlled areas of Poland is where a significant amount of the narrative takes place. It’s a story that isn’t told particularly often, so it was a really interesting read – if not a tough read at times.
Particular praise should go to Smethurst’s prose; I initially assumed this would be more of a Tuesdays With Morrie-esque recording of various conversations with the inclusion of Smethurt’s asides and observations, but instead she tells the story as a straight narrative. I imagine that would have been a particularly difficult task, as her research extended far beyond her conversations with Mindla, for her to tell this story in a straight narrative format so as to balance telling fact while also skirting around the gaps created by intermittent memory or a lack of information. However, Smethurst does a wonderful job of keeping the story interesting from start to finish, and it is consistently amazing to remember that this is the story of an actual person, rather than the fictive imaginings of a writer’s mind.
Ultimately, The Freedom Circus celebrates the indomitability of the human spirit while unflinchingly portraying the near-unimaginable circumstances that people managed to survive. It pays beautiful homage to the strength of people who not simply came out the other side, but did so with humour, grace, and love.
The Freedom Circus is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
One family’s death-defying act to escape the Nazis and start a new life in Australia.
Written by award-winning author and journalist Sue Smethurst, whose husband is Mindla and Michael’s grandson, The Freedom Circus is an epic story of courage, hope, humanity, survival and, ultimately, love.
When Sue Smethurst first sat down with her grandmother-in-law and asked how she survived the Holocaust, she was shooed away. By that time Mindla was in a Melbourne Jewish nursing home with other survivors, her body ageing but mind still razor sharp.
‘Vhy do you vant to know?’ she’d ask. ‘My story is nothing special.’
As death began approaching Sue became a little more pushy. She knew Mindla’s life had to be recorded and they were running out of time. Each week she’d bring cake from her favourite shop in St Kilda, a bottle of the brightest nail polish she could find, a handful of old pictures and her tape recorder. They’d chat and paint Mindla’s nails, and with each ‘chat’ her story unfolded. It was beyond anything Sue could have imagined.
The tale of how Mindla and her husband Michael Horowitz, a circus performer for the famous Staniewski Brothers, escaped from Poland with their young son and embarked on a terrifying journey through the USSR and Middle East to Africa and ultimately to safety in Australia, is nothing short of extraordinary.
