Cold Crematorium

Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz

By: József Debreczeni, Paul Olchváry - translator, Jonathan Freedland

Narrated by: Laurence Dobiesz

New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, 2024

"Cold Crematorium is an indispensable work of literature, and a historical document of unsurpassed importance. It should be required reading." —Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated

The first English language edition of a lost memoir by a Holocaust survivor, offering a shocking and deeply moving perspective on life within the camps—with a foreword by Jonathan Freedland.

József Debreczeni, a prolific Hungarian-language journalist and poet, arrived in Auschwitz in 1944; had he been selected to go “left,” his life expectancy would have been approximately forty-five minutes. One of the “lucky” ones, he was sent to the “right,” which led to twelve horrifying months of incarceration and slave labor in a series of camps, ending in the “Cold Crematorium”—the so-called hospital of the forced labor camp Dörnhau, where prisoners too weak to work awaited execution. But as Soviet and Allied troops closed in on the camps, local Nazi commanders—anxious about the possible consequences of outright murder—decided to leave the remaining prisoners to die in droves rather than sending them directly to the gas chambers.

Debreczeni recorded his experiences in Cold Crematorium, one of the harshest, most merciless indictments of Nazism ever written. This haunting memoir, rendered in the precise and unsentimental style of an accomplished journalist, is an eyewitness account of incomparable literary quality. The subject matter is intrinsically tragic, yet the author’s evocative prose, sometimes using irony, sarcasm, and even acerbic humor, compels the reader to imagine human beings in circumstances impossible to comprehend intellectually.

First published in Hungarian in 1950, it was never translated into a world language due to McCarthyism, Cold War hostilities and antisemitism. More than 70 years later, this masterpiece that was nearly lost to time will be available in 15 languages, finally taking its rightful place among the greatest works of Holocaust literature.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 József Debreczeni, Paul Olchváry, Alexander Bruner (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Superb...an unforgettable testimonial to the terror of the Holocaust and the will to endure."—Kirkus (starred)

"József Debreczeni was a journalist and a poet and he brings the skills of both to this remarkable work. Cold Crematorium will awe you with the acuity of its observations and the precision and beauty of its language. It should be read by everyone wishing to understand the cruelty and barbarism of the Shoah, but also the indomitable spirit of its survivors."—Ehud Barak, Former Prime Minister of Israel

"Cold Crematorium is an indispensable work of literature, and a historical document of unsurpassed importance. It should be required reading."—Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything is Illuminated

Fantastic recollection of the holocaust

Definitely a must read. NEVER FORGET WE MUST NEVEE FORGET! We need more accounts like this available for everyone to read.

Stunning

This book tells the story of what life was really like within the Nazi concentration camps. A good friend once told me, in the development of life on earth, at one point there were a number of human wannabes running around but homo sapiens were the lone survivor. And homo sapiens were the successful, lone survivor because: We are the killers. "Cold Crematorium" is a testament to our continuing to live out that very nature. Tough to read, but necessary to read.

Harsh Reality

An absolute masterpiece if one can consider the reality of what transpired in any way but in the harshest terms for the wretchedness of the era. This was painful to listen to but necessary for anyone interested in how man’s brutality toward man can evolve so quickly into such indescribable evil. The book is a tour de force in our witnessing this unbelievable saga through the eyes of the author.

Beautifully written, beautifully read

One man's experience of the dehumanizing horrors of daily existence in Nazi concentration camps. Too disturbing to objectively review.

Masterpiece

Stirring, devastating, and deeply moving. Should be required reading. The poetic last minutes are a testament to human resilience.

Sad State of Humanity, and a Brave, Necessary Work

To hear this man’s personal experience as a prisoner was breathtaking and incredibly sad and awful. I am so grateful to have a better understanding of this horror of less than 100 years ago. Thank you to everyone who made this English translation possible. I hope the author found some peace in his remaining time.

Learned so much more about the Holocaust

While I never studied the Holocaust, I thought that I knew the basics. However, I recently watched “The Zone of Interest” and “Origin” and realized that I needed to understand more, understand better. This book is an in depth description of day-to-day life in the labor camps where so many millions were imprisoned, abused, terrorized and tortured. It’s an important book, not for the faint of heart. Be brave, listen and learn.

Grave authentic description of a Nazi camp

I've studied the Holocaust. I'm born in Germany and now live in the USA for 40 years. My parents went through the war and met each other when all was lost on the retreat to the West. I'm born way after the war and still try to come terms how this happened. Be aware, this could happen again ☹️

Never Again

Still the most horrifying events to hear about. This telling is brutal but matter of fact in the author’s words.

This needs to be read!

An horrific tale. It’s critical that this story and so many others like it be read. Time has silenced the voices that reminded us of the horrors of fascism. The written accounts are all that remain. We are doomed to have those horrors repeated if we don’t remember.