WWII tale tracks life under Nazi occupation

"COMEDY IN A MINOR KEY," by Hans Keilson and Damion Searls (translator), Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 144 pages $22 (f)

World War II had a lasting impact on the world, but little can compare to the experiences of those living in occupied Europe.

Whether an "enemy" of the German state or a citizen just going about their daily life, many lived in fear on a daily basis.

"Comedy in a Minor Key" tells the story of one such unassuming couple, for which going about daily life includes hiding a Jew in their home.

Originally published in 1947, "Comedy in a Minor Key" has just been translated into English for the first time.

When an office colleague asks Dutch couple Wim and Marie about fulfilling their "patriotic duty" following the occupation of the Netherlands, they realize taking a refugee into their home is perhaps the only way they can "fight back."

And so the couple takes in Nico, a Jewish man. A stranger. He moves into one of their upstairs rooms, one equipped with a hiding place inside the closet. There he lives for a year, spending most of his time within the same four walls.

Nico is grateful to have a place to stay. The home is comfortable, and his room is bright and sunny. But after a while, even the most grateful person can have trouble with isolation, and Nico struggles with feelings of resentment and loneliness.

When Nico becomes ill, the couple cares for him at home, in secret. But Nico doesn't get better. In fact, he keeps getting worse. A doctor must be found and his silence secured.

In the end, though, even a doctor can't help, and Nico dies, leaving the couple wondering how to dispose of a body that was never supposed to be in their house.

Often it's life experience that helps color a piece of art, music or, in this case, literature. Author Hans Keilson's personal understanding shines through in his writing, which has a survivor spirit to it.

Keilson, who was born in Berlin, was forced to flee to the Netherlands after the Nuremberg Laws made it illegal to practice medicine in Germany. When war came to that part of Europe, he went into hiding and later joined the Dutch resistance. Following the war, he pioneered the treatment of war trauma in children.

"Comedy in a Minor Key" is a short piece at only 144 pages, but it feels grander than its small stature. There's an elegant quality to Keilson's prose that makes the reader consider each phrase separately and as a whole. And there's a lyrical quality that draws the story forward at a comfortable and engaging pace.

Keilson's novella is not linear in its format, with the story line jumping from place to place. But it doesn't matter. When a book is this well written, its flow is seamlessly smooth.

"Comedy in a Minor Key" is a beautiful little book and is well worth the hour or two needed to read it.

e-mail: jharrison@desnews.com