Spark of Life

The novel has 25 chapters and tells the story of inmates and watchmen of the "Little Camp" of the fictional concentration camp Mellern, a few months before the end of World War II. The Little Camp is a part of the concentration camp, which prisoners who are unable to work are sent to. In the recurring bombardments of the nearby city, a group of inmates of the Little Camp, called veterans for their years of stay, begin to organize themselves as they see signs of possible liberation. This begins with disobeying orders, hiding other prisoners in order to escape the grasp of the guards, obtaining weapons and finally culminates in an armed struggle to liberate the camp. Both the inhumane conditions of the camp, such as humiliations, shootings, unsanitary conditions and hunger, as well as criminals of middle-class background are displayed. An additional element is the conflict with the communistic part of the resistance group and their goals.