Ariana Neumann

WINNER OF THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE'Beautifully told' John Le Carre'More than just history' Michael Palin'Truly exceptional' Jon Snow'Absolutely remarkable' Edmund de Waal'Beautifully written' Stephen D. SmithIn this remarkably moving memoir, Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father's past: years spent hiding in plain sight in wartorn Berlin, the annihilation of dozens of family members in the Holocaust, and the courageous choice to build anew.'The darkest shadow is beneath the candle.'As a child in Venezuela, Ariana Neumann is fascinated by the enigma of her father, who appears to be the epitome of success and strength, but who wakes at night screaming in a language she doesn't recognise. Then, one day, she finds an old identity document bearing his picture - but someone else's name.From a box of papers her father leaves for her when he dies, Ariana meticulously uncovers the extraordinary truth of his escape from Nazi-occupied Prague. She follows him across Europe and reveals his astonishing choice to assume a fake identity and live out the war undercover, spying for the Allies in Berlin - deep in the 'darkest shadow'. Having known nothing of her father's past, not even that he was Jewish, Ariana's detective work also leads to the shocking discovery that a total of twenty-five members of the Neumann family were murdered by the Nazis.Spanning nearly ninety years and crossing oceans, When Time Stopped is a powerful and beautifully wrought memoir in which Ariana comes to know the family that has been lost - and, ultimately, her own beloved father.

In this astonishing story that reads like a thriller and is so, so timely' (BuzzFeed) Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father's past: Like Anne Frank's diary, it offers a story that needs to be told and heard' (Booklist, starred review).In 1941, the first Neumann family member was taken by the Nazis, arrested in German-occupied Czechoslovakia for bathing in a stretch of river forbidden to Jews. He was transported to Auschwitz. Eighteen days later his prisoner number was entered into the morgue book.Of thirty-four Neumann family members, twenty-five were murdered by the Nazis.One of the survivors was Hans Neumann, who, to escape the German death net, traveled to Berlin and hid in plain sight under the Gestapo's eyes. What Hans experienced was so unspeakable that, when he built an industrial empire in Venezuela, he couldn't bring himself to talk about it. All his daughter Ariana knew was that something terrible had happened.When Hans died, he left Ariana a small box filled with letters, diary entries, and other memorabilia.Ten years later Ariana finally summoned the courage to have the letters translated, and she began reading. What she discovered launched her on a worldwide search that would deliver indelible portraits of a family loving, finding meaning, and trying to survive amid the worst that can be imagined.A beautifully told story of personal discovery' (John le Carr), When Time Stopped is an unputdownable detective story and an epic family memoir, spanning nearly ninety years and crossing oceans. Neumann brings each relative to vivid life, and this gripping, expertly researched narrative will inspire those looking to uncover their own family histories' (Publishers Weekly).

KRAUS FAMILY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR AT THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDSWINNER OF THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE'Beautifully told' John le Carre 'More than just history' Michael Palin'Truly exceptional' Jon Snow 'Absolutely remarkable' Edmund de WaalIn this remarkably moving memoir, Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father's past: years spent hiding in plain sight in wartorn Berlin, the annihilation of dozens of family members in the Holocaust, and the courageous choice to build anew.'The darkest shadow is beneath the candle.'As a child in Venezuela, Ariana Neumann is fascinated by the enigma of her father, who appears to be the epitome of success and strength, but who wakes at night screaming in a language she doesn't recognise. Then, one day, she finds an old identity document bearing his picture - but someone else's name.From a box of papers her father leaves for her when he dies, Ariana meticulously uncovers the extraordinary truth of his escape from Nazi-occupied Prague. She follows him across Europe and reveals his astonishing choice to assume a fake identity and live out the war undercover, spying for the Allies in Berlin - deep in the 'darkest shadow'. Having known nothing of her father's past, not even that he was Jewish, Ariana's detective work also leads to the shocking discovery that a total of twenty-five members of the Neumann family were murdered by the Nazis.Spanning nearly ninety years and crossing oceans, When Time Stopped is a powerful and beautifully wrought memoir in which Ariana comes to know the family that has been lost - and, ultimately, her own beloved father.

Una hija desentraña las memorias de su padre judio durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial y descubre a la familia que nunca supo que tenía. Las únicas pistas que tuvo Ariana Neumann de niña sobre la vida de su padre el empresario y mecenas Hans Neumann antes de llegar a la Venezuela que lo adopto eran una foto vieja de sus abuelos paternos, un documento de identidad con un nombre falso y la pasion de su papa por coleccionar y arreglar relojes. Todo cambio cuando Hans murio y le dejo a su hija una caja llena de cartas y documentos que seran el punto de partida para que Ariana se convierta en la detective que siempre soño ser. Su mision sera descubrir que paso con esa familia de la que nunca supo mayor cosa y de su vida en Praga durante la primera mitad del siglo XX. Los descubrimientos de la autora son un viaje a la memoria de una familia judia destrozada por la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la persecucion y el Holocausto. Pero tambien desentrañan la valentia de un chico que evito ser transportado a los campos de concentracion al esconderse a plena vista con una identidad falsa en Berlin, la capital del Reich, de 1943 a 1945: su padre."La historia que ella descubre es digna de la ficcion con agudos giros, temerarios actos de amor e inesperados momentos de humor en tiempos oscuros. Dado el monton de personajes coloridos y detalles dramaticos, Neumann podria haber convertido su minuciosa investigacion en una novela historica. En cambio, ha escrito una estupenda autobiografia familiar que despliega su poder conmovedor en multiples niveles.".The New York Times

Siendo niña, Ariana jugaba a los detectives. A falta de misterios reales que resolver, empezó a investigar el enigma de su padre, Hans Neumann, un brillante industrial y filántropo que se despertaba por las noches gritando en un idioma desconocido. En una caja que le deja su padre tras morir, ella encuentra un documento de identidad con la fotografia de su padre de joven, pero a nombre de otra persona. Esa es la primera pista acerca de un hombre que jamas hablo de su pasado. Ariana se lanza a una busqueda por toda Europa. Su gran hallazgo es el impactante diario de su padre, escrito cuando decidio huir de la Praga ocupada para ocultarse, con una identidad falsa, en el epicentro del poder nazi: Berlin. El destino de otros miembros de su familia que no lograron escapar del Holocausto empuja a Ariana a asumir el legado familiar.