El cuchillo de mi abuelo: Historias ocultas de la segunda guerra mundial

by Joseph Pearson, Luis Noriega (Translator)

Un cuchillo adornado con una esvástica y la cabeza de un águila. Cuando era niño, Joseph Pearson estaba aterrorizado por el arma que colgaba de un gancho en el sótano de su abuelo, un trofeo arrebatado al enemigo en la batalla.

Cuando más tarde heredó el cuchillo, descubrió una historia mucho más inquietante de lo que jamás podría haber imaginado. Para entonces Joseph Pearson –que vivía en Berlín, convertido en escritor e historiador cultural- se sintió atraído por otros objetos de la era nazi: un diario de bolsillo, un libro de recetas, un instrumento de cuerda y una bolsita de algodón. Cada uno perteneció a un veinteañero durante la segunda guerra mundial –un chico del campo, un joven melancólico, una cocinera, un músico herido en el frente y un superviviente– y se embarcó en un viaje para iluminar sus historias antes de que desaparecieran de la memoria viva.

Una historia de detectives y un relato apasionante de la búsqueda de respuestas de un historiador, El cuchillo de mi abuelo es a la vez una conmovedora meditación sobre la memoria y una aportación única a nuestra comprensión de la Alemania nazi. A través de una investigación rigurosa y una hermosa prosa, Joseph Pearson ilumina la historia a menudo oscura del siglo XX al dar vida a lo que esconden objetos cotidianos en manos de gente común.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

416 pages, Paperback

Published October 26, 2022

About the author

Joseph Pearson is a writer and historian, author of the books The Airlift / Sweet Victory (The History Press, Pegasus Books, 2025), My Grandfather’s Knife (The History Press, HarperCollins, 2022) and Berlin (Reaktion Press, 2017). His work has appeared in The Guardian, Lettre International, New England Review, AGNI, PRISM International, Geist and many other publications. For more than a decade, he was the author of one of Berlin’s favourite blogs, The Needle. Since 2014, he has been the essayist of the Schaubühne Theatre. He lectures in Berlin at a German university, the Barenboim-Said Akademie, and at New York University in Berlin.

Reviews

[Nahanni McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story was extremely captivating. I’m going to be honest I am definitely more of an easy reading type but this was wild. My grandfather was in the second world so I picked up this book because I think of him often but never about his hardship in the RCAF. After I read this I found photos that I took of his bedroom for a school project. His uniform, unopened bottles of scotch on the floor of his closet and a model airplane. I never asked him and he never spoke. Maybe I can go through these objects and find my own stories of him. Thank you for this book.

[Thebruce1314 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the concept of this book and the stories it contains. I agree that objects are important reminders of an otherwise ethereal history that is increasingly difficult for people to grasp in a digitized world. I recently visited the Auschwitz exhibit at the ROM, and can attest to how powerful it was (emotionally and intellectually) to be in the presence of those artifacts. Not everyone has access to a curated exhibit, however, and the pictures and descriptions that Pearson offers, taken alongside witness testimony, are important contributions to the historical record that can be accessed by a wide audience.

Herein lies my issue with this book: the author talks about the importance of bearing witness and sharing knowledge in an effort to mitigate future conflicts; yet, if this is the document intended to share the knowledge, it misses the mark. This is not a book that will likely be devoured by a wide audience, because it’s not quite certain what it wants to be. Is it popular history, meant for wide consumption? Is it an academic dissertation meant to convince scholars of the practicality of object analysis in the social sciences? The truth lies somewhere in the middle. While the stories shared are fascinating, some of the theorizing around object use and meaning is beyond the average reader, and it makes for dry patches in an otherwise captivating read.

There are a couple of other (minor-ish) complaints that I have: namely, that the text would have been improved by more thorough editing to improve flow and awareness few technical errors (misplaced words and odd syntax); and that the format set out the first chapter (thoroughly researching each aspect of the object, in an effort to break down its provenance as much as possible) does not continue throughout the book. In fact, the third chapter isn’t actually about an object at all, but rather is based on memories (though an object, in the form of a recipe book, was created from the memories, after the fact), and some of the other chapters deviate some distance from the intended object (e.g., the stringed instrument starts out as a bass, but morphs into a more detailed history of a violin) before finding their way back. These could have been framed better for the reader, though their inclusion is valuable.

Despite these criticisms, I think this is such an important document - one that I hope will be expanded upon.

[Paul Sutter]

One gets the impression that although World War Two is more than seventy-five years in the rearview mirror, there will be many more books to come, detailing other aspects to the war. We know about the War, the atrocities, the deaths, and how evil permeated the landscape from 1939-1945, but there are little-known and other areas that were part of the war. Although perhaps not as vital or interesting for some, they still define what individuals experienced during these times.
A most intriguing book MY GRANDFATHER’S KNIFE (Hidden Stories From The Second World War), looks at a series of objects that while seemingly inconsequential for some, held deep meaning for others. There are five items that Pearson reflects upon, and they are a knife, a diary, recipe book, stringed instrument and a small pouch. The stories revolving around them is what the book most fascinating. They speak volumes of memories of the war, and what people experienced thanks to the items. They bring back bitter and sweet memories from that most horrific period of time, adding another dimension to the War.
The knife is perhaps the most interesting item noted in the book. It had a swastika on it and ironically the knife was reportedly created by a Jewish craftsman during the War. The man later died from malnutrition, one of the countless victims of the German regime that had tried to annihilated an entire race of people. Joseph had seen the knife when he was younger, and it unnerved him in many ways. His grandfather, part of the Canadian forces, acquired it and it resided in their home. When Pearson finally moved to Germany, and when many of his belongings were packed, that knife headed over to Germany. It intimidated him like a ghost haunting someone, but eventually he realized it was not wise to give in to superstitious beliefs.
The other items noted especially the violin, show how one musical instrument can hold such meaning and memories, as the Germans plundered dozens of priceless violins for their own.
Joseph Pearson’s penchant for detail, is what makes the book so interesting, taking readers back in time to five objects, and making them all relevant and informative to readers today.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book and really enjoyed the stories as they were well documented and researched. It put a human side to common objects. One thing I did not agree with the book was the assumption that all objects of the Nazi era are forever tainted and people should really consider the ownership of these objects. I can understand this of a SS knife or porceline made in Maudhausen but other things such as a viloin, bass, cookbook etc are not 'bad' objects just because they were used or aquired illegally.

Still a well researched book putting objects in a different light.

[Colin Freebury · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an interesting example of ‘historical anthropology’ (‘material history) which examines the story of several objects for what light they might shed on life in Germany during the Nazi period. The objects include a bayonet brought home to Canada by his grandfather, a recipe book which belonged to Joseph Goebbels cook, and a double bass instrument used by a member of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra. Well worth reading for how this approach to history is carried out and the way it can add to an understanding of what actually transpired and why.

[Jory John · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Grandfather’s Knife is a quietly powerful WWII read that brings history to life through personal objects and the people who carried them. Thoughtful, moving, and deeply human, it shows how ordinary items can hold extraordinary stories. A great pick for readers who love intimate, well-researched history.

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts I was so into the book, sometimes, I found it so boring and hard to get through. This was a challenge to finish

[John Fairbanks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull dull dull.