
The Language of Thieves
My Family's Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $13.73
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Qarie Marshall
-
By:
-
Martin Puchner
Centuries ago in middle Europe, a coded language appeared, scrawled in graffiti and spoken only by people who were wiz (in the know). This hybrid language, dubbed Rotwelsch, facilitated survival for people in flight - whether escaping persecution or just down on their luck. It was a language of the road associated with vagabonds, travelers, Jews, and thieves that blended words from Yiddish, Hebrew, German, Romani, Czech, and other European languages and was rich in expressions for police, jail, or experiencing trouble, such as being in a pickle. This renegade language unsettled those in power, who responded by trying to stamp it out, none more vehemently than the Nazis.
As a boy, Martin Puchner learned this secret language from his father and uncle. Only as an adult did he discover, through a poisonous 1930s tract on Jewish names buried in the archives of Harvard’s Widener Library, that his own grandfather had been a committed Nazi who despised this language of thieves. Interweaving family memoir with an adventurous foray into the mysteries of language, Puchner crafts an entirely original narrative. In a language born of migration and survival, he discovers a witty and resourceful spirit of tolerance that remains essential in our volatile present.
©2020 Martin Puchner (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLCListeners also enjoyed...




















Incredibly captivating story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Along with this explanation of the language itself, Puchner slowly reveals his family's history of studying the language and how that led him to discover buried, unspoken secrets from the Nazi era both from his own family and from the wider society. There's an element of the detective story here along with a poignant coming-to-terms with his own memories.
The performance of the book is excellent. Highly recommended.
A surprising look a language I never knew existed
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As a retired Geologist who looks at rocks in layers, languages are layed out in layers.
This is one of the best books that I have read (listened to) in years.
I highly recommend this book to those with a philological bent.
One of the best.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.