The Secret WWII Concentration Camp Diary of Odd Nansen

The New Yorker hails From Day to Day, the World War II concentration camp diary, as “among the most compelling documents to come out of the war,”. Secretly written by Odd Nansen, a Norwegian, it is one of only a handful ever translated into English. Nansen, arrested in January 1942, was held captive in various Nazi camps in Norway and Germany. During this time he wrote this inspiring diary illuminating daily struggles. It chiefly illustrates not only his survival, but the fight to preserve his sanity and maintain his humanity.

Timothy Boyce rescued the diary from oblivion after having been out of print for over 60 years. He discovered it from reading the memoir of another Holocaust survivor. Nansen saved this 10 year-old boy while both were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen. Through selected readings, Boyce will discuss and explain who Nansen was. Moreover, he discusses why he was arrested, why he wrote the diary, how he preserved it, and why this diary is as important today as it was when first written. Boyce will also sell his book at the event.

Boyce practiced law for many years, most recently serving as the Managing Partner of the Charlotte, NC office of Dechert LLP, an international law firm. His articles appear in The Quarterly Journal of Military History, World War II Magazine, The Scandinavian Review and Viking Magazine. Boyce, who currently lives in Tryon, NC, retired in 2014 to devote his time to writing and speaking.

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