Online Book Talk: Irmgard: The Girl from Dresden
In this online book talk, hosted in cooperation by The Wiener Holocaust Library, Fiona Kelmann will be in conversation with Dr Simon Holloway about her new book Irmgard: The Girl from Dresden. A Memoir of Survival and Legacy.
Born in Dresden as Nazism tightened its grip, Irmgard (Irma) Conradi witnessed the rapid dismantling of Jewish life in Germany. As discriminatory laws escalated into violence, Irma’s world collapsed during the terror of Kristallnacht. She navigated her own survival in a regime built on persecution and terror – one that punished Jewish lives and targeted non-Jewish people who dared to oppose it. Irma recounts her story with astonishing clarity: her family’s fate, surviving Terezin, and her arrival to Australia as a refugee.
Interwoven with Irma’s testimony is the voice of author Fiona Kelmann, who explores the powerful terrain of post memory, revealing how the past shapes the present and how stories are inherited across generations. The book also shines a light on the unique strength of Melbourne Holocaust survivors, a community defined by resilience, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to education and remembrance. Irma’s two decades at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum form a central part of this legacy.
A story of survival, witness, and responsibility, this book is a profound testament to the enduring power of memory – and the courage of one woman who refused to be silenced.
Virtual event guidelines:
- The Library will send you a Zoom link and joining instructions via email prior to the event. Please check your junk email folders.
- Please try and join 5 minutes before the event start time and we will let you into the room (do try and bear with us if this takes a few minutes).
- If you would like to ask a question during the event, the chair may invite you to raise your hand or type your question into the chat function, and we will endeavour to answer as many questions as possible during the Q&A.
This event is free, although registration via the link below is required. Please note that our free events are run by staff volunteers. Thank you for your patience should we have any technical or audio difficulties. We will do our best to correct them but this is not always possible.
