Night__from_Struggling_Work_to_Timeless_Masterpiece

Night: From Struggling Work to Timeless Masterpiece Elie Wiesel’s Night is far more meaningful that any novel or memoir; it is physical representation of both the horrors of the Holocaust as well as the impressions it has left behind for today. Night was first published as a part of a series of works the same year Wiesel wrote it, but it wasn’t until 1958, four years later, when it was published as his own masterpiece and truly gained attention. Until then, the book was turned down by numerous publishers. They promptly excused it as a story that people did not want to hear. Today we realize how ignorant it is to dismiss such significant times in our history. But it was the ignorance Wiesel endured and fought in order to get his global message across. Years of hardships and effort went into the writing and publication of this book and yielded a debatable masterpiece for the ages. Wiesel first began to write his story in 1954, while he was on board a ship to Brazil. The ten years of misery had been bottled up inside him until one night he began to write his story. It was originally 852 pages and titled Und di Velt Hot Geshvign (Yiddish for “And the World Remained Silent”). It was published in Argentina that year as a part of a series of memoirs but gained no recognition (Ellie 1321-1323). Wiesel resumed his career as a journalist in France. Because of an acquaintance, Nobel laureate François Mauriac, a slight ray of attention was shone on Wiesel’s book (Donadio). It was Mauriac who urged Wiesel to tell his long-hidden story. Mauriac wrote a preface for his book, which they both thought would give the book more appeal. However, no publisher dared to take it on, saying that it was too morbid, and people did not want to hear that type of story. In what sort of world can one take such little pity on the victims of such heinous crimes' Wiesel realized that it was his duty, not as a survivor but as a human, to make humanity aware of the atrocities committed by and against man and to convey to all people the realities of the situation. Anne Frank wrote about personal experiences—in a diary that was popular and sold well—but her diary does not tell the reader of experiences in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Wiesel was the first survivor to speak up about the Nazi’s cruelty, and he chose to do so in writing—powerful writing that would send chills down the reader’s spine, thought-altering writing. In 1958, Und di Velt Hot Geshvign was taken on by a French publisher and retitled La Nuit. Wiesel faced the same difficulty in finding an American publisher. He said, "Some thought the book too slender, others too depressing. Some felt that its subject was too little known, others that it was too well known (Cargas).” The Holocaust had indeed taken place merely a decade before. Perhaps, for some, he image was too fresh in their minds to be reiterated. Others had heard of the war crimes but were not half as concerned as they should have been. And yet others denied the Holocaust took place altogether. This was the crowd Wiesel was speaking to—a seemingly impractical situation. However, in the fall of 1960, Arthur Wang of Hill & Wang published his story in the United States as Night. Sales were low, but Wiesel’s message was getting attention. By the 1970s, Night was a common text in colleges and high schools across the country, in the ‘90s it was selling 300,000 copies annually, and in 2006 it was chosen as New York Times’ number-one bestseller. What made people suddenly buy this book' Why put this book in the hands of students' Genocides are committed by those who fear the different, the unknown. Therefore, the key to stopping genocide in our world is education. The educated man does not possess that fear; he is not only aware of other cultures but is also respectful thereof. In that, Wiesel is a genius. He educated the world on a reality and let the people decide what was morally right. If one really looks into the purpose of Night, one finds it is about much more than the horrors and sufferings of the Holocaust—its moral is the universal message of peace. It conveys the message that these atrocities have existed, but they also have passed, that no good can ever come from such hatred and violence, and that all humans, regardless of all ethnic disparities, should show respect for one another. Works Cited Auschwitz-Burkenau Memorial and Museum in Oswiecim 08 03 2008 . Cargas, Harry . In Converstion with Elie Wiesel. Diamond Communications, 1992. Donadio, Rachel. "The Story of 'Night'." The New York Times 20 01 2008 08 03 2008 . "Ellie Wiesel."Holocaust Literature: An Encyclopedia of Writers and Their Work. 2002. Fine, Ellen S.. Legacy of Night: The Literary Universe of Elie Wiesel. State University of New York Press, 1982. Manseau, Peter. "Revising Night: Elie Wiesel and the Hazards of Holocaust Theology." Killing the Buddha 08 03 2008 .