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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'It is 1943 and each night in a bomb shelter beneath the Berlin Zoo an Australian woman, Vera, shelters with her German husband, Axel, the zoo's director.
'Together, Vera and Axel struggle to look after the animals through the air raids and food shortages of war. When the zoo's staff are drafted into the army, conscripted foreign workers are sent to replace them. At first Vera finds the idea of forced labour abhorrent, but gradually she realises the new workers are the zoo's only hope. Then she finds herself becoming close to one of them - a young Czech, with whom she forms an unexpected bond.
'This is a city where a foreign accent - Czech or Australian - is a constant source of suspicion, where busybodies report the names of neighbours' dinner guests to the Gestapo. As tensions mount in the closing days of the war, nothing, and no one, it seems, can be trusted.' (Back cover)
Notes
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Dedication: For my grandmother, Marion Marcus, 1901-2003. With love and thanks for other stories.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Large print.
- Dyslexic edition.
Works about this Work
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The Silver Age of Fiction
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Meanjin , Summer vol. 70 no. 4 2011; (p. 110-115)‘In human reckoning, Golden Ages are always already in the past. The Greek poet Hesiod, in Works and Days, posited Five Ages of Mankind: Golden, Silver, Bronze, Heroic and Iron (Ovid made do with four). Writing in the Romantic period, Thomas Love Peacock (author of such now almost forgotten novels as Nightmare Abbey, 1818) defined The Four Ages of Poetry (1820) in which their order was Iron, Gold, Silver and Bronze. To the Golden Age, in their archaic greatness, belonged Homer and Aeschylus. The Silver Age, following it, was less original, but nevertheless 'the age of civilised life'. The main issue of Peacock's thesis was the famous response that he elicited from his friend Shelley - Defence of Poetry (1821).’ (Publication abstract)
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Staying Alive
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Biblio : A Review of Books , November-December vol. 14 no. 11 & 12 2009; (p. 40)
— Review of The Zookeeper's War 2007 single work novel -
From Night Vision to Dream Debut
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 20 December 2008; (p. 9) -
The Overflow
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22-23 November 2008; (p. 9) A column canvassing current literary news including a brief report on sales of Steven Conte's The Zookeeper's War since it won the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Awards fiction category. Publishing director of HarperCollins, Shona Martyn, is reported as saying that 11,500 copies have been printed. (3,500 copies had been printed prior to the award announcement.) -
New Who's Who in the Literary Zoo
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 13-14 September 2008; (p. 3)
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[Review] The Zookeeper's War
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , June vol. 86 no. 9 2007; (p. 59)
— Review of The Zookeeper's War 2007 single work novel -
Beastly Wages of War
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 11-12 August 2007; (p. 10)
— Review of The Zookeeper's War 2007 single work novel -
How the Menagerie Says Goodbye to Berlin
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 25 August 2007; (p. 25)
— Review of The Zookeeper's War 2007 single work novel -
The Secret World of Lies
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , December vol. 2 no. 12 2007; (p. 20-21)
— Review of The Anatomy of Wings 2006 single work novel ; Lilia's Secret 2007 single work novel ; Rohypnol 2006 single work novel ; The Zookeeper's War 2007 single work novel -
Staying Alive
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Biblio : A Review of Books , November-December vol. 14 no. 11 & 12 2009; (p. 40)
— Review of The Zookeeper's War 2007 single work novel -
A Novel Name in Prize Ranks
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 7 August 2008; (p. 3) -
Ex-Canberra Student Beats Heavyweights to Win PM's Book Award
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 13 September 2008; (p. 3) -
Rudd and Writers Get First-Time Glow
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13-14 September 2008; (p. 9) -
A Word in Your Ear, We're Giantkillers
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 13 September 2008; (p. 3) -
New Who's Who in the Literary Zoo
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 13-14 September 2008; (p. 3)
Awards
- 2008 winner Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Fiction
- 2008 shortlisted South East Asia and South Pacific Region — Best First Book
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Berlin,
cGermany,cWestern Europe, Europe,
- 1940s