On the Way to Feed the Swans
This is a true story about a young girl growing up in an upper-class, half German-Jewish, half Austrian-Jewish family who, along with her parents, flees from their family home in the baroque city of Dresden and resettles in the safety of America. A poignant and compelling child’s eye-view of the observations, hopes and dreams of a pre-teenager whose childhood was buffeted by the rise of anti-Semitism and the difficulties of adapting to the strange new culture of the United States. Self-published in 1982 by Tenth House Enterprises, Inc., On the Way to Feed the Swans has been formally recognized by the Hannah Arendt Institute as an important contribution to the understanding of Nazi totalitarianism and the Holocaust. It also received Honorable Mention in 1982 from the American Book Awards, established by the Before Columbus Foundation.
Reviews
“Hahn’s memoir is deceptively private. The need to remember is the impetus behind these pages.”
– Gail Sheehy, author
“In its precision, intelligence, and beauty, Hannelore Hahn’s book displays how memory sustains and how a self survives.”
– Lynne Barrett, author
“It is seldom that a memoir by a survivor has the sweetness and charm of Ms. Hahn’s.”
– Jose Yglesias
“This book is haunting and fascinating. I hope it gets the audience in this country which it deserves.”
– Adam Hochschild, Contributing Editor, Mother Jones
“This is a finely written personal testimony of a witness of our turbulent period, touching all the emotions.”
– Gerald Holton, Professor, Harvard University
Remember the Magic: The Story of the International Women’s Writing Guild in Celebration of Its 25th Anniversary, in Her Own Words
This book commemorates and celebrates the first 25 years of the International Women’s Writing Guild which was founded by Hannelore Hahn in 1976. Unlike traditional literary organizations of that time, the Guild was open to any woman regardless of background, previous training or even writing experience. The IWWG’s pivotal question to a woman who wished to join the Guild was: “Who are you?” In response, most would say: “I am the daughter of …”; “I am the wife of …” or “I am the mother of…” Helping these women develop a perception of themselves as unique individuals—and not just daughters, wives, or mothers—was the IWWG’s contribution to the woman’s liberation movement. And the Guild’s primary tool for raising a woman’s consciousness was writing, particularly memoir writing.
PLACES: A Directory of Public Places for Private Events and Private Places for Public Functions
When Places was first conceived and published in 1978, New York City was morphing into the world’s epicenter for the celebration and public openings of every conceivable idea and performance. It listed some 1,000 known and also unknown and previously unconsidered locations for public functions and celebrations. Having immediately became a Best Bet in New York Magazine, Hahn received a surprise phone call from Count Otto von Bismark’s great grandson, who was seeking to celebrate his honeymoon in a private railroad car. Places was updated and published by Tenth House Enterprises for twenty years, 1978-1998, until New York City re-invented itself again, knocking down most of the quaint and hitherto undiscovered and building a reef of new high-risers instead.
Take a Giant Step
This illustrated children’s book is a whimsical homage to the history and adventure of walking on stilts published in 1960 by Little, Brown & Company. Also in 1960, Hahn’s more serious essay on the history of stilts appeared in the 20th anniversary edition of The Saturday Book, an immensely popular British holiday compendium of contemporary articles, essays and poetry published by Hutchinson of London and edited by John Hadfield. The essay also appeared in the action painter Alfred Leslie’s review, The Hasty Papers, and was subsequently republished by Host Publications, Inc. of Austin, Texas. Hahn’s extensive research on the history of stilts is on deposit in the archives of the Ethnographic Museum, Stockholm, Sweden.