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Diane Armstrong Diane Armstrong i(A15999 works by) (birth name: Danusia Boguslawski)
Born: Established: 1939
c
Poland,
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Eastern Europe, Europe,
;
Gender: Female
Arrived in Australia: 1948
Heritage: Jewish
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BiographyHistory

Diane Armstrong, who is a freelance journalist living in Sydney, was born in Poland in 1939. She and her family survived the war years by masquerading as Catholics and eventully managed to secure a passage to Australia on the SS Derna in 1948. She has chronicled that voyage in The Voyage of Their Life (2001). She is also the author of Mosaic, A Chronicle of Five Generations which became a bestseller in 1998.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon The Collaborator Sydney : HQ Fiction , 2019 15933541 2019 single work novel historical fiction

'An act of heroism, the taint of collaboration, a doomed love affair, and an Australian woman who travels across the world to discover the truth...

'It is 1944 in Budapest and the Germans have invaded. Miklos Nagy risks his life and confronts the dreaded Adolf Eichmann in an attempt save thousands of Hungarian Jews from the death camps. But no one could have foreseen the consequences...

'It is 2005 in Sydney, and Annika Barnett sets out on a journey that takes her to Budapest and Tel-Aviv to discover the truth about the mysterious man who rescued her grandmother in 1944.

'By the time her odyssey is over, history has been turned on its head, past and present collide, and the secret that has poisoned the lives of three generations is finally revealed in a shocking climax that holds the key to their redemption.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2020 highly commended SWW Book Awards Fiction
2020 longlisted Davitt Award Best Adult Crime Novel
y separately published work icon Nocturne : A Novel Pymble : HarperCollins Australia Fourth Estate , 2008 Z1495614 2008 single work novel

'It is Warsaw in 1939, and Elzunia is an indulged teenager dreaming of heroism and romance. But when war breaks out, her illusions are shattered. As bombs fall, she meets Adam, a taciturn airman who becomes an activist in the Polish Underground, and later flies bombers for the RAF. Meanwhile, in occupied Warsaw, Elzunia discovers her own strength in ways she never imagined.

'Nocturne is the story of two people whose relationships are played out against the turbulent events of the Second World War in Poland and England. It is a story of doomed heroism and moral triumph in the face of cruelty and betrayal. It is also a story of redemption through love.

'Drawing on her extensive research and her own experiences as a child during the war in Poland, Diane has recreated the tension, confusion and terror of civilians when their lives are on the line and their humanity is put to the test.

'Some of the characters in Nocturne were inspired by real people. One of them was the remarkable Australian nursing sister, Muriel Knox Doherty, who was placed in charge of the hospital set up in the grounds of the Belsen-Bergen concentration camp. Another was the heroic Underground courier Jan Karski who tried to change the course of history by alerting Allied leaders about the genocide in Poland.' (Author's blurb)

2009 winner SWW Book Awards Fiction
y separately published work icon Winter Journey : A Novel Pymble : Fourth Estate , 2005 Z1178608 2005 single work novel 'A mother′s silence, a village with a terrible secret, and an Australian woman who travels to Poland to uncover the truth ... When forensic dentist Halina Shore arrives in Nowa Kalwaria to take part in a war crimes investigation, she finds herself at the centre of a bitter struggle in a community that has been divided by a grim legacy. What she does not realise is that she has also embarked on a confronting personal journey. Inspired by a true incident that took place in Poland in 1941, Diane Armstrong′s powerful novel is part mystery, part forensic investigation, and a moving and confronting story of love, loss and sacrifice.' (Publisher's blurb)
2006 shortlisted South East Asia and South Pacific Region Best First Book
Last amended 9 Apr 2005 16:51:35
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