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| '''Fania Fénelon''' (born ], ] as '''Fania Goldstein'''; died ], ] in ]) was a cabaret singer. | '''Fania Fénelon''' (born ], ] as '''Fania Goldstein'''; died ], ] in ]) was a cabaret singer. | ||
| She was the daughter of a Jewish salesman. In Paris she went to the ] and, at the same time, worked nights, singing under the |
She was the daughter of a Jewish salesman, Jules Goldstein, born in Russia or Poland, and a French Catholic mother, Marie Bernier. In Paris she went to the ] and, at the same time, worked nights, singing under the pseudonym Fania Fénelon, in bars. She had two brothers. She was married, but divorced early. In the ] she supported the resistance agaisnt the Nazis and was first deported to ], where she was a member of the ], then to ], until she was freed in 1945. Suffering from a potentially lethal case of typhus and weighing only sixty pounds, she sang for the BBC on the day of her liberation by British troops. (A ] entry for this recording gives her name as Fanja Perla, possibly her married name at the time.) | ||
| Under her pseudonym Fania Goldstein became a well known cabaret singer. In 1966 she went with her |
Under her pseudonym, Fania Goldstein became a well known cabaret singer. In 1966 she went with her African-American 'life-partner' to East Berlin. (She never divulged his identity, but ], a ] who chose to live in East Germany due to American racism and his own Communist sympathies, fits many of the details.) After her partner's death she returned to France. Between 1973 and 1975 she wrote the book ''Sursis pour l'orchestre'', in which she described her experiences. The book was based on her diary from the concentration camps. Many of her fellow survivors of the women's orchestra took issue in private with her portrayal of them, particularly ] and ]. | ||
| Between 1973 and 1975 she wrote the book ''Sursis pour l'orchestre'', in which she described her experiences. The book was based on her diary from the concentration camps. | |||
| ] filmed the book under the title ''Playing For Time,'' using as script a dramatic adaptation by ]. Fania bitterly opposed Miller's and Yellen's sanitized rendition of life in the camps and above all Yellen's casting of ] to play her. Redgrave was a well-known ] sympathizer and at nearly six feet tall, bore little resemblance to the petite Fania. | |||
| ] filmed the book under the title ''Playing For Time''. | |||
| Fania 'Fénelon' Goldstein died on the 19th December 1983 in a Paris |
Fania 'Fénelon' Goldstein died on the 19th December 1983 in a Paris hospital. The causes were listed as cancer and heart disease. | ||
| == Books == | == Books == | ||
| * Fania Fénelon: ''Das Mädchenorchester in Auschwitz''. dtb, München, 1991, ISBN 3-423-01706-6 | * Fania Fénelon: ''Das Mädchenorchester in Auschwitz''. dtb, München, 1991, ISBN 3-423-01706-6 | ||
| ''Playing for Time'' | |||
| *Joel Agee: ''Twelve Years'' | |||
Revision as of 17:56, 18 July 2006
Fania Fénelon (born September 2, 1922 as Fania Goldstein; died December 19, 1983 in Paris) was a cabaret singer.
She was the daughter of a Jewish salesman, Jules Goldstein, born in Russia or Poland, and a French Catholic mother, Marie Bernier. In Paris she went to the Conservatoire de Paris and, at the same time, worked nights, singing under the pseudonym Fania Fénelon, in bars. She had two brothers. She was married, but divorced early. In the Second World War she supported the resistance agaisnt the Nazis and was first deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she was a member of the girl orchestra of Auschwitz, then to Bergen-Belsen, until she was freed in 1945. Suffering from a potentially lethal case of typhus and weighing only sixty pounds, she sang for the BBC on the day of her liberation by British troops. (A Library of Congress entry for this recording gives her name as Fanja Perla, possibly her married name at the time.)
Under her pseudonym, Fania Goldstein became a well known cabaret singer. In 1966 she went with her African-American 'life-partner' to East Berlin. (She never divulged his identity, but Aubrey Pankey, a baritone who chose to live in East Germany due to American racism and his own Communist sympathies, fits many of the details.) After her partner's death she returned to France. Between 1973 and 1975 she wrote the book Sursis pour l'orchestre, in which she described her experiences. The book was based on her diary from the concentration camps. Many of her fellow survivors of the women's orchestra took issue in private with her portrayal of them, particularly Anita Lasker Wallfisch and Violette Jacquet.
Linda Yellen filmed the book under the title Playing For Time, using as script a dramatic adaptation by Arthur Miller. Fania bitterly opposed Miller's and Yellen's sanitized rendition of life in the camps and above all Yellen's casting of Vanessa Redgrave to play her. Redgrave was a well-known PLO sympathizer and at nearly six feet tall, bore little resemblance to the petite Fania.
Fania 'Fénelon' Goldstein died on the 19th December 1983 in a Paris hospital. The causes were listed as cancer and heart disease.
Books
- Fania Fénelon: Das Mädchenorchester in Auschwitz. dtb, München, 1991, ISBN 3-423-01706-6
Playing for Time
- Joel Agee: Twelve Years