-
Milena and Margarete
- A Love Story in Ravensbrück
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
![Prime logo](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/Audible/Homestead/Prime_Logo_RGB.png)
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pre-order for $20.78
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
A profoundly moving celebration of love under the darkest of circumstances
From the moment they met in 1940 in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Milena Jesenska and Margarete Buber-Neumann were inseparable. Czech Milena was Kafka’s first translator and epistolary lover, and a journalist opposed to fascism. A non-conformist, bisexual feminist, she was way ahead of her time. With the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, her home became a central meeting place for Jewish refugees. German Margarete, born to a middle-class family, married the son of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. But soon swept up in the fervor of the Bolshevik Revolution, she met her second partner, the Communist Heinz Neumann. Called to Moscow for his “political deviations,” he fell victim to Stalin’s purges while Margarete was exiled to the hell of the Soviet gulag. Two years later, traded by Stalin to Hitler, she ended up outside Berlin in Ravensbrück, the only concentration camp built for women.
Milena and Margarete loved each other at the risk of their lives. But in the post-war survivors’ accounts, lesbians were stigmatized, and survivors kept silent. This book explores those silences, and finally celebrates two strong women who never gave up and continue to inspire. As Margaret wrote: “I was thankful for having been sent to Ravensbrück, because it was there I met Milena.”
Critic reviews
"Strauss draws us skillfully into the world of the prison camp at Ravensbrück, in the darkest years of the 20th century. Milena and Margarete remind us that, amidst depravity and cruelty, the passionate friendship of women can be its own act of powerful resistance." —Tilar Mazzeo, bestselling and award-winning author of Irene's Children and Sisters in Resistance
"Riveting, mesmerizing important work.... The details and perspectives of women prisoners at Ravensbruck concentration camp are juxtaposed to these extraordinary individuals' proximity to the lives of the Martin Buber family and to Franz Kafka, reminding us that the lack of full autonomy for even free-thinking bourgeois women relegated them to secondary status in both freedom and enslavement. A magnificent work of contextualization that opens new doors of understanding." —Sarah Schulman, Lambda Literary Award winner, author of Let the Record Show
"For the first time, Strauss writes about Ravensbrück as a place of a great romantic story, of love between two women. In equal parts intellectual history, queer history, and history of the Holocaust, Milena and Margarete forces us to rethink our understanding of the concentration camps." —Anna Hájková, University of Warwick, pioneer of queer Holocaust history
"Whenever you think everything has been said about World War Two, Gwen Straus writes another meticulously researched, heart-breaking story to remind us of the importance of human connection and the invincible belief in the power of love. Her work reads like a novel, a brutal but sensory world, evocative characters and a forbidden passion that bubbles with joy in...a concentration camp!...Milena and Marguerite is one of the first books of nonfiction to accurately and movingly address the consequences of a queer female love affair in the camps.... I am so grateful for the existence of this book and for the existence of its marvellous writer. Oh, this Gwen Straus is a wonder! I'd read anything she writes, on any subject." —Golda Goldbloom, award winning author of On Division
Related to this topic
-
Pulse
- The Untold Story
- By: Trevor Aaronson
- Narrated by: Trevor Aaronson
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016, the shooter, Omar Mateen, murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others. The attack was the deadliest act of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in US history and the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11. But there’s a story you haven’t heard. The FBI had a secret history with the shooter and his father. To obscure that history, the FBI pushed a false story that the media dutifully carried—that the attacker was a secretly gay Islamist extremist who had chosen to target Pulse and planned the attack for weeks.
-
-
Heart wrenching
- By Kaylee Charles on 07-21-24
By: Trevor Aaronson
-
The Picture of Dorian Gray
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Russell Tovey
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A disturbing tale of a young man's uncanny ability to remain both young and beautiful while descending into a life of heartless debauchery, The Picture of Dorian Gray was considered proof of both Wilde's genius and his perversion. Oscar Wilde's scandalous best seller of 1891 was one of the most damning pieces of evidence used against him in the trial that brought about his downfall.
-
-
A twisted tale of vanity and poisonous people
- By Shantastic on 10-02-19
By: Oscar Wilde
-
A Collection of Monstrous Short Stories
- MM Monster Romance
- By: Lily Mayne
- Narrated by: Michael Lesley
- Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Catch up with the original monster-human couple, Danny and Wyn, in their Wastes-style adventures. Witness Moth and Wyn's blossoming and potentially concerning friendship. Find out all the new ways Edin has been frustrating Hunter (lovingly) since their story ended. And join Lor and Jugs in welcoming a new furry addition to their monster-world family.
-
-
Queen Lily Mayne
- By kisha on 09-06-24
By: Lily Mayne
-
The Definition of Beautiful
- A Memoir
- By: Charlotte Bellows
- Narrated by: Charlotte Bellows
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Bellows wrote The Definition of Beautiful between the ages of 15 and 17, in the wake of lockdown and in recovery from anorexia. In the tradition of Sylvia Plath in The Bell Jar and Françoise Sagan in Bonjour Tristesse, Bellows writes with deceptively straightforward urgency, pushing through society's constraints on the bodies and minds of girls and women to offer a story both achingly familiar and devastatingly new.
-
Top Secret
- By: Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
- Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Christian Fox
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling authors Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy return with their first Male/Male romance in 3 years. LobsterShorts, 21. Jock. Secretly a science geek. Hot AF. SinnerThree, 21. Finance major. Secretly a male dancer. Hot AF. LobsterShorts: So. Here goes. For her birthday, my girlfriend wants…a threesome. SinnerThree: Then you’ve come to the right hookup app. LobsterShorts: Have you done this sort of thing before? With another guy? SinnerThree: All the time. I’m an equal opportunity player. You? LobsterShorts: [crickets!]
-
-
✫✫ 5 Stars ✫✫
- By ❤️Cyndi Marie❤️🎧Audiobook Addicts🎧 on 05-31-19
By: Sarina Bowen, and others
-
Crossing the Line
- By: J.J. Arias
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Newly appointed judge Jordan Blake is done with romance. But on a rare night out, she becomes captivated by Sierra, a woman half her age. Unable to resist her charms, the usually cautious Jordan gives in to a reckless night of passion. Law student Sierra Fuentes doesn't expect to see Jordan again. Pleasantly surprised when she ends up her intern, Sierra sees an opportunity to continue their steamy affair. If only Jordan would stop caring about the rules. With Sierra in her chambers, Jordan vows to keep their relationship strictly professional... even if she can't stop thinking about that night
-
-
Fell Flat
- By WoodPhoenix on 08-31-24
By: J.J. Arias
-
Pulse
- The Untold Story
- By: Trevor Aaronson
- Narrated by: Trevor Aaronson
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016, the shooter, Omar Mateen, murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others. The attack was the deadliest act of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in US history and the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11. But there’s a story you haven’t heard. The FBI had a secret history with the shooter and his father. To obscure that history, the FBI pushed a false story that the media dutifully carried—that the attacker was a secretly gay Islamist extremist who had chosen to target Pulse and planned the attack for weeks.
-
-
Heart wrenching
- By Kaylee Charles on 07-21-24
By: Trevor Aaronson
-
The Picture of Dorian Gray
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Russell Tovey
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A disturbing tale of a young man's uncanny ability to remain both young and beautiful while descending into a life of heartless debauchery, The Picture of Dorian Gray was considered proof of both Wilde's genius and his perversion. Oscar Wilde's scandalous best seller of 1891 was one of the most damning pieces of evidence used against him in the trial that brought about his downfall.
-
-
A twisted tale of vanity and poisonous people
- By Shantastic on 10-02-19
By: Oscar Wilde
-
A Collection of Monstrous Short Stories
- MM Monster Romance
- By: Lily Mayne
- Narrated by: Michael Lesley
- Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Catch up with the original monster-human couple, Danny and Wyn, in their Wastes-style adventures. Witness Moth and Wyn's blossoming and potentially concerning friendship. Find out all the new ways Edin has been frustrating Hunter (lovingly) since their story ended. And join Lor and Jugs in welcoming a new furry addition to their monster-world family.
-
-
Queen Lily Mayne
- By kisha on 09-06-24
By: Lily Mayne
-
The Definition of Beautiful
- A Memoir
- By: Charlotte Bellows
- Narrated by: Charlotte Bellows
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Bellows wrote The Definition of Beautiful between the ages of 15 and 17, in the wake of lockdown and in recovery from anorexia. In the tradition of Sylvia Plath in The Bell Jar and Françoise Sagan in Bonjour Tristesse, Bellows writes with deceptively straightforward urgency, pushing through society's constraints on the bodies and minds of girls and women to offer a story both achingly familiar and devastatingly new.
-
Top Secret
- By: Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
- Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Christian Fox
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling authors Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy return with their first Male/Male romance in 3 years. LobsterShorts, 21. Jock. Secretly a science geek. Hot AF. SinnerThree, 21. Finance major. Secretly a male dancer. Hot AF. LobsterShorts: So. Here goes. For her birthday, my girlfriend wants…a threesome. SinnerThree: Then you’ve come to the right hookup app. LobsterShorts: Have you done this sort of thing before? With another guy? SinnerThree: All the time. I’m an equal opportunity player. You? LobsterShorts: [crickets!]
-
-
✫✫ 5 Stars ✫✫
- By ❤️Cyndi Marie❤️🎧Audiobook Addicts🎧 on 05-31-19
By: Sarina Bowen, and others
-
Crossing the Line
- By: J.J. Arias
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Newly appointed judge Jordan Blake is done with romance. But on a rare night out, she becomes captivated by Sierra, a woman half her age. Unable to resist her charms, the usually cautious Jordan gives in to a reckless night of passion. Law student Sierra Fuentes doesn't expect to see Jordan again. Pleasantly surprised when she ends up her intern, Sierra sees an opportunity to continue their steamy affair. If only Jordan would stop caring about the rules. With Sierra in her chambers, Jordan vows to keep their relationship strictly professional... even if she can't stop thinking about that night
-
-
Fell Flat
- By WoodPhoenix on 08-31-24
By: J.J. Arias