Today we talk about Woden and Frigg: Resistance to Oppression, a book by Duncan Wales published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Duncan Wales to get to know him better, where he found the inspiration to the writing of his book Woden and Frigg: Resistance to Oppression, as well as how he felt to see his book published.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Where did you find the inspiration to write this book?
I have always been interested in the Second World War and was surprised to hear of resistance to Hitler in Germany throughout the war and not just from his generals. I read about the Edelweiss Pirates and the White Rose movement and wondered what life was like for ordinary Germans carried along in the tide of fanaticism and conquest. The first country that Hitler seized was Germany; people were afraid to protest, neighbour betraying neighbour, which led to the spread of fear within the local populace. There were many attempts on Hitler’s life and there would have been many more of if not for the Gestapo and SS. Although Goebbels required many photo shoots from Hitler, these were always carefully organised, making it difficult to assassinate him. Many popular media show Germans as people who madly supported the Nazis, but after doing a lot of research, I felt that it was time for the other side of the story to be told.
- What are the crucial themes of your work?
The ordinary people often trampled on by politicians and egomaniacs will find a way to survive under any circumstances; the will to survive is strong in many people, and I don’t mean Hitler’s “Triumph of the Will.” One of the main themes is that comedy never dies, no matter what the circumstances, which complements the human spirit, perhaps even strengthening it. Hitler’s adjutants had a nickname for him, the Bohemian Corporal, and many other underlings had them too, notably Goering, known as Meyer to the general public. The unity of friends and family is an important part of the book. Under duress, they usually band together to help each other, which is something we should strive for if humanity is to survive.
- What do you want to communicate to readers with this work?
The importance of standing together in time of strife. The route to power by tyrants like Stalin, Mao and Hitler must be blocked or their will be mass murder and chaos. The similarity of the situation between Germany and Japan, superiority complex leading to the right of lebensraum in the countries of those they deemed inferior. I hope that readers will understand that there was very little that ordinary Germans could do.
- How did it feel to see your book published?
Very happy and quite proud. I hope it sells, important message therein in my opinion. Essential to stand your ground against tyranny, not getting involved in fights but refusing to budge. Two great heroes of mine are Doctor Martin Luthur King and Mahatma Ghandi who stood up for their rights without invoking violence. Obviously, there may come a time when reactive violence is the only solution for example Hitler but this should be avoided at all costs.
- Are you planning to write more books? Can you tell us something about it?
I am working on a new one now called “The Price of Neutrality.” It is set in approximately 1942 and is based on Philip K Dick’s “The Man in the High Castle” In Dick’s work Germany and Japan defeat the USA, I can’t believe that Germany and Japan could defeat the economic might of the USA so in my version, GB and the USA stay neutral and Germany and Japan defeat the Soviet Union The Japanese who were known to be ahead of the game with bio weapons after experiments on live human being in Unit 733 at the behest of General Ishi. The world falls into chaos with the release by the Japanese of a deadly virus which devastates the world and is the catalyst for weird almost supernatural happenings, telepathy and a belated warning from the future!
Europe Books thanks the author Duncan Wales once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Woden and Frigg: Resistance to Oppression. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, may this book, with its timely content and messages, be a source of reflection and great inspiration in order to find out in what way you can apply this in your real everyday life!
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your Editor