Fred Wander

Wander was born Fritz Rosenblatt in Vienna, he left school at 14 and worked as an apprentice in a textile mill, before travelling around Europe taking whatever jobs were going.

In 1938 after the German annexation of Austria, Wander escaped back to Paris via Switzerland.

Wander survived the camps and after World War II he lived in East Germany (GDR) from 1958 – 1983.

It was while a resident in the GDR that in 1971 The Seventh Well (ISBN 0-7178-0466-6) was published, it was an account of his experiences in the concentration camps.

The book won much critical acclaim following a later re-release, including the 2009 JQ Wingate Prize.