Synopsis

A fictional diary set in interwar Germany and Spain allows us to peek into the life of Klara Philipsborn, the only Communist in her merchant-class, German-Jewish family.

Klara’s first visit to Seville in 1925 opens her eyes and her spirit to an era in which Spain’s major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, shared deep cultural connections. At the same time, she is made aware of the harsh injustices that persist in Spanish society. By 1930, she has landed a position with the medical school in Madrid. Though she feels compelled to hide her Jewish identity in her predominantly Christian new home, she finds that she feels less “different” in Spain than she did in Germany, especially as she learns new ways of expressing her opinions and desires. And when the Spanish Civil War erupts in 1936, Klara (now “Clara”) enlists in the Fifth Regiment, a step that transports her across the geography of the embattled peninsula and ultimately endangers a promising relationship and even Clara’s life itself.

A blending of thoroughly researched history and engrossing fiction, Home So Far Away is an epic tale that will sweep readers away.

Amazon * B&N * IndieBound * Mrs. Dalloway’s

Praise

“An affecting, historically astute novel.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Judith Berlowitz’s Home So Far Awayis like stepping into an Ernest Hemingway novel, with Kristin Hannah whispering in the reader’s ear. Caught in the political strife around her, devoted to the war-injured she cares for, and struggling to surmount the betrayals of country, the powers over her, and her emerging and conflicting identities as a woman, a Jew, and a Communist, Klara Philipsborn is tossed in the storms that surround her, threatening her person and profession. This vividly told story, written as diary entries, is a captivating picture of one of the many young foreign nationals who committed their lives to this fraught time in twentieth-century Spain.”—Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of Even in Darkness and Hard Cider

“Captivating. On the eve of the Nazi rise to power, a German Jewish Communist finds the home she craves in Spain, where she becomes deeply involved in defending the Republic. Klara’s passion for life and freedom and the pungent sensual details create an immersive experience. The kind of diary Anne Frank might have written if she had survived to adulthood.”—Kate Raphael, author of Murder Under the Bridge, a Palestine mystery

“Combining meticulous archival research with compelling literary creativity, Judith Berlowitz tells Klara’s story in the form of a diary, from her first visit to Sevilla before the war to her involvement as a nurse and translator during the conflict. Home So Far Away not only brings history to us on a deeply personal level; it also offers a vital lesson for today and tomorrow about the threats to democracy and the critical role that commitment –ethical and ideological—can play in its defense.”—Anthony L. Geist, University of Washington, Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives

Guest Review by Nora

A beautiful novel full of suspense, intrigue, and the romance of travel. If you are a lover of historical fiction, ‘Home So Far Away’ by Judith Berlowitz is the novel for you!

The book is told via the diary entries of a woman named Klara Philipsborn, who illustrates her world in 1920s and 30s Europe through the lens of a woman ahead of her time. Klara is 35 when the novel starts. The middle child of three and the daughter of a factory owner, Klara, takes a trip to Seville, Spain, with her 2 sisters and mother. The aim during the trip is to visit her uncle (or ‘Onkel’ as she calls him) Julius, a man that the family has not seen in some time.

During the trip, Klara observes many different Catholic and Christian ceremonies and learns much about the differences in these religions and her own Judaism. Onkel Julius has not told his Seville family that he comes from a Jewish family, and so he asks the woman to keep quiet about this as well, a fact that dismays Klara somewhat.

However, Klara has much to concern her on the trip and even more once she returns home. She is also the only Communist in her family and is becoming more and more worried about the route that the German government seems to be taking toward the Nazi party. Eventually, Klara decides to return to Spain and gets a job in a medical school in Madrid.

Between the fascinating politics of both Spain and Germany and the beautifully described atmosphere, ‘Home So Far Away’ leaves a strong impression on any reader. Berlowitz’s writing is spectacular and I found myself completely swept up into Klara’s descriptions and everything else in this novel.

This is a one-of-a-kind book and one that should be discovered by all!

Excerpt

Madrid, Thursday, 26 March 1931

The first three days of this week at the Medical School have witnessed what is being called the “Siege of San Carlos.” Another experience with actual conflict in Spain, along with November’s funeral procession for the Alonso Cano workers. I shall attempt to describe the events of each day.

Monday: As I walked down the halls toward my office, low-pitched conversations were issuing from each classroom before the professors arrived. Once in the lab, my students seemed restless and unable to concentrate on their projects. One of them asked me if I knew where he could find a piece of cartón.

Cartón, I thought, must mean “cardboard,” just as it does in German. “What for?” I asked. “Your project doesn’t involve cardboard.”

“No,” he replied, lowering his voice, “but the Spanish people’s project does.”

“Ah,” I replied, and pulled the copy of the Heraldo out of my rucksack, showing the word Amnistía. He nodded vigorously, blond curls falling onto his forehead. “Wait a moment,” I offered. “I think I know where I can find some cardboard.”

I excused myself to the students, stepped out of the lab and headed for the stairs that lead down to the supply room. On the staircase were gathered about twenty students, speaking excitedly in hushed tones. “We need to make some pancartas,” one student was saying, his open hands on either side of his body.

This word was so similar to German Plakat that I assumed he was talking about signs. “Do you need cartón?” I interrupted, repeating the Spanish word for cardboard I had just learned.

“Ah, yes, please, right away,” came the enthusiastic response.

I continued down to the supply room, opened it with my key, my heart pounding, but at the same time I felt encouraged by the resolve of the students. After a bit of a search, I found some large pieces of cardboard on which had been printed charts showing types of shoulder injuries, the anatomy of the brain, causes of syncope, leading causes of death, etc. They looked to be a bit out of date, so I assumed they would not be missed, gathered up a large armful and took them up to the students on the stairs, reserving a choice sample of anatomy of the teeth for my curly-haired lab student.

Classes continued in a more or less orderly manner, but when students attempted to exit the building, now holding signs saying “Pedimos Amnistía” (We demand amnesty), they were met by security guards, and once they had pushed onto Calle de Atocha, by Civil Guardsmen and mounted police. Some students were chased through the streets, and a few improvised signs were snatched and torn up by police and by supporters of the monarchy. The red flag of the FUE (the University Students’ Federation) was unfurled from the top floor. Some workers in the street demonstrated their solidarity with the students by hurling bricks at the police. In the building, others formed a group and met with General Mola, the security director at the School of Medicine, requesting permission to hold a legal demonstration tomorrow. Mola dismissively denied their request, and they left. His denial was worth nothing, as they planned to meet and continue to strategize.

Tuesday: Morning classes took place as usual, but promptly at noon, all the students put away their materials, stood up, and headed for the assembly hall, and I joined them. A number later estimated at three thousand filled the hall, with designated speakers declaring that classes were suspended for the rest of the day and that any students who wished should adjourn to the street in a public demonstration to demand amnesty for the political prisoners. General Mola’s resignation was demanded by students who claimed that he had confused the streets of Madrid with the Rif Mountains (where he had served in the war against Morocco). Herminia and Pilar were sitting on either side of me, and we decided to go to my office, to observe from my window, which overlooks Calle de Atocha. Crowds of students had poured out to the street, many carrying signs. Soon some of them returned, this time with armfuls of bricks snatched from nearby construction sites. As soon as they were inside, the building was surrounded by Civil Guardsmen, who prevented anyone inside from going out. By that time, the students had reached the top floor and started pelting the police with bricks and chunks of pavement. The police retreated, serenaded from the rooftop by a youthfully roared version of the “Marseillaise.” We could also see neighbors come out to their balconies and from one balcony a banner was unfurled proclaiming “Viva la República.” Another female student, Carmen, burst into my office, breathless, her voice breaking:

“The boys are pulling out the chairs from the dental school and using them as projectiles!” And at that moment, we were shaken by two tremendous crashes on the street and looked out to view the shattered remains of two dentist chairs on the sidewalk below.

By one o’clock the battle had not dissipated. More armed police arrived, and just before two we began to hear shots. When we saw some people on the street fall, I closed the shutters on my window, fearing that we would become targets. I tried to calm the three women, but I was terrified myself. We later heard that students who had been throwing objects from the balconies had been shot and pulled inside to the clinic for treatment by their fellow students and by professors.

At two-thirty the shooting stopped, the students ran out of bricks, and once most of the police had retreated, we all left in groups and headed for the Puerta del Sol where we were joined by other citizens. Some people began to shout pro-dictatorship slogans, and fights broke out, and it appeared that the police were not interested in maintaining order, so I ducked into the metro and returned home.

About the Author

Los Angeles-born Judith Berlowitz holds a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures and is a federally-certified translator. She is a former professor of Spanish and Cultural Studies and has published works in ethnomusicology, oral history, and Jewish identity.

Judith has played classical guitar and oboe and has sung with the Stanford Early Music Singers and the Oakland Symphony Chorus. She currently is a volunteer Curator with the genealogical website, Geni.com, and sings with the San Francisco Bach Choir. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, not far from her three daughters and three grandsons.

Website * Facebook

Giveaway

This giveaway is for 3 print copies and is open to Canada and the U.S. only.

This giveaway ends on July 1, 2022 midnight, pacific time.

Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway