“Everything I have, I carry with me.”
The Hunger Angel follows Leo Auberg, a young man from Romania, who is deported to a Soviet labor camp after World War II. The novel unfolds through Leo’s fragmented memories and poetic reflections as he endures starvation, forced labor, and psychological torment under totalitarian oppression.
Early Deportation
Leo, a 17-year-old from a German-speaking minority in Romania, is abruptly taken by Soviet soldiers in 1945. Alongside other deportees, he is transported in a cattle car to a labor camp in Ukraine. The journey is marked by fear, uncertainty, and the first pangs of hunger.
Life in the Labor Camp
In the camp, Leo is assigned grueling physical labor—shoveling coal, hauling bricks, and clearing snow. Hunger becomes a constant companion, personified as the “hunger angel,” a spectral force that haunts the prisoners. The inmates develop rituals to cope, such as hoarding crumbs or fantasizing about food.
Struggles and Survival
Leo befriends other prisoners, including Tur Prikulitsch, a cynical but resilient man, and the frail but sharp-witted Paul Gast. The prisoners endure brutal winters, disease, and the ever-present threat of death. Leo clings to small acts of defiance, like secretly writing poetry in his mind.
Loss and Despair
As years pass, some prisoners die from exhaustion or illness. Leo witnesses the dehumanizing effects of starvation—some steal food, others lose their sanity. The hunger angel becomes an inescapable presence, distorting time and memory.
Return and Haunted Memories
After five years, Leo is released and returns to Romania. But freedom brings no relief—he is haunted by the camp’s trauma. The hunger angel lingers in his mind, a ghost of his past. The novel ends with Leo unable to fully escape his suffering, carrying it “with him” forever.
Key Ideas
- The dehumanizing effects of totalitarianism and forced labor.
- Starvation as both physical and psychological torment.
- Memory and trauma as inescapable burdens.
- The resilience of the human spirit under oppression.
- The blurred line between survival and complicity.
Who should read this book?
- Readers interested in historical fiction about postwar Europe.
- Those exploring themes of trauma and survival.
- Fans of poetic, introspective narratives.
- Individuals studying the effects of totalitarianism.