Ruth Maier (10 November 1920 in Vienna, Austria – 1 December 1942 in

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

, Poland) was an Austrian woman whose diaries describing her experiences of the Holocaust in Austria and Norway were published in 2007; reviews described her as "Norway's Anne Frank."

Early life

Ruth Maier was born in Vienna to a largely assimilated Jewish family daughter of Ludwig .1882and Irma 895-1964 Her father, Dr. Ludwig Maier, held a doctorate in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, was a polyglot (mastering nine languages), and held a senior position within the Austrian post and telegraph service. He died in 1933 of erysipelas. Her first cousin, who survived the war, was the philosopher

Stephan Körner Stephan Körner, FBA (26 September 1913 – 17 August 2000) was a British philosopher, who specialised in the work of Kant, the study of concepts, and in the philosophy of mathematics. Born to a Jewish family in what would soon become Czechosl ...

. Her younger sister Judith managed to escape to the United Kingdom. Through her father's contacts, Ruth was able to find refuge in Norway, where she arrived by train on 30 January 1939. She was housed for some time with a Norwegian family. She became fluent in Norwegian within a year, completed her examen artium, and befriended the future poet Gunvor Hofmo at a volunteer work camp in Biri. The two became a couple, finding lodging and work in various places in Norway.

Model for sculptor Gustav Vigeland

Ruth was also one of the models for the statue "Surprised", by Gustav Vigeland. It is on permanent display in Frogner Park in Oslo. Vigeland began work on the sculpture about 1904. The model for the face of the sculpture was Inga Syvertsen; the sculpture was completed in 1942. Maier was surprised by another person entering the room while she was modelling for Vigeland, and she tried to cover her naked body, hence the posture. The statue was eventually cast in bronze in 2002. Additionally Ruth was a model for Norwegian painter Åsmund Esval.

Arrest, deportation to Auschwitz and death

She rented a room in Dalbergstien 3 in Oslo in the early fall of 1942 and was arrested on 26 November 1942 and deported on the SS ''Donau'' the same day. Arriving in

on 1 December 1942, she was led straight into the gas chambers. She lived to be 22.

Publishing of diary

Her partner Gunvor Hofmo kept Ruth's diaries and much of her correspondence. She approached Gyldendal to get them published in 1953, but was turned down. After she died in 1995, Jan Erik Vold went through her papers and came upon Ruth Maier's works. After editing them for ten years, they were published in 2007. Vold was highly impressed by the literary value of the diaries, comparing Ruth Maier's literary talent to that of

Hannah Arendt Hannah Arendt (, , ; 14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. She is widely considered to be one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. Arendt was born ...

and

Susan Sontag Susan Sontag (; January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American writer, philosopher, and political activist. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels; she published her first major work, the essay "Notes on 'Camp'", in 1964. Her ...

. The book was translated into English by Jamie Bulloch in 2009. Most of Ruth's diary is preserved from 1933 to 1942. She wrote in her diary about the deteriorating conditions for Austria's Jewish population following the Anschluss in 1938, her reaction to the many changes in her life, and her yearning for her family.

2012 apology by Norway's government

In a speech issued on 27 January 2012 on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg issued an official apology for the role played by Norwegians in the deportations. As reported on the official website of the Norwegian Government, Stoltenberg delivered his speech at the dock in the capital Oslo where 532 Jews boarded the cargo ship Donau on 26 November 1942, bound for Nazi camps. Stoltenberg said:

Legacy

In 2015 Klassekampen printed a facsimile of her piece ''Kirkegård/Vår Frelser'' ("Graveyard/Our Saviour") in an article about the exhibition (until 23 August) at Bomuldsfabrikken Kunsthall in

Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...

: "''Krigsbilder. Kunst under okkupasjonen 1940—45''", adding that "Sensitive impressions of nature and cityscapes in aquarell, testify to an independent talent." In 2020, ''Ruth Maiers plass'' (Ruth Maier Square) was scheduled to open in Oslo; it is located at the corner of Glückstads gate/ Dovregata/ Krumgata. Lillestrøm has a street named after her.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maier, Ruth The Holocaust in Norway Children in war Austrian women writers Writers from Vienna Writers from Oslo Stateless people Women diarists Women in World War II 1920 births 1942 deaths Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss Austrian people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp Jewish women writers Austrian civilians killed in World War II Refugees in Norway People killed by gas chamber by Nazi Germany 20th-century women writers 20th-century Austrian writers Austrian Jews who died in the Holocaust 20th-century diarists Norwegian artists' models Models from Oslo