New Books Network Anna Hájková, "People without History are Dust: Queer Desire in the Holocaust" (U Toronto Press, 2025)
Dec 26, 2025
Anna Hájková, a historian and director at the University of Warwick, sheds light on often-ignored queer narratives from the Holocaust in her new book. She discusses how archival silence and survivor testimonies have marginalized same-sex desire. Key figures like Gad Beck and Margot Heuman highlight the complexities of survival, while Anne Frank's diary faces censorship for its queer content. Hájková argues that understanding these stories is crucial for both historical awareness and contemporary identity, emphasizing the need for inclusivity in our narratives.
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Historicize Acts Not Identities
- Queer history prioritizes acts and practices over fixed sexual identities to avoid anachronism.
- This approach includes gender-nonconforming behavior without assigning modern labels to historical actors.
Silence Shaped By Camp Homophobia
- Archives are silent on same-sex desire because homophobia shaped what survivors recalled and recorded.
- Camp homophobia and shame made survivors describe queer acts as disgusting, limiting later testimony.
Gad Beck's Contested Memoir
- Gad Beck's memoir was ghostwritten and uses real names of lovers despite their objections.
- Beck's account mixes lively storytelling with troubling sexual violence and outing of partners.