The Seventh Cross

'At once a suspenseful manhunt story and a knowing portrait of the perils of ordinary life in Hitler's Germany, The Seventh Cross is not only an important novel, but an important historical document. This new, unabridged translation is a genuine publishing event.'Joseph Kanon, author of The Good German and Leaving Berlin 1930s Germany. Seven prisoners escape from Westhofen concentration camp. The commandant vows to capture the fugitives within seven days. Six are caught quickly, but George Heisler slips through his pursuers' fingers. It becomes a matter of pride to track him down, whatever the cost.Who can George trust? Who will betray him? The years of fear have changed those whom he knew best: his brother is now an SS officer; his lover turns him away. Hunted, injured and desperate, time is running out for George, and whoever is caught aiding his escape will pay with their life. 'A fascinating insight into life in pre-war Nazi Germany just as the horrors of the Nazi regime were beginning to unfold. This is an important novel, as much for its picture of German society as for its insight into the psyche of ordinary people confronting their personal fears and mixed loyalties while an escapee from an early concentration camp attempts to avoid recapture' Simon Mawer, author of The Glass Room'A masterpiece. Written in the midst of terror, but with such clarity, such acuity; Seghers is a writer of rare insight' Rachel Seiffert, author of A Boy in Winter 'It was [Seghers] who taught my generation and anyone who had an ear to listen after that not-to-be-forgotten war to distinguish right from wrong. The Seventh Cross shaped me; it sharpened my vision' Gunter Grass