Victor Klemperer, the son of a Jewish couple, was born in Germany in 1882. When he was nine his family moved to Berlin and during the First World War served in the German Army.

When Adolf Hitler came to power he was head of Romance and Literature at Dresden Technical University. He published several books on 17th and 18th French literature before being expelled from his post in 1935. He also lost his house and was forced to live in what were known as Jewish houses.

Married to a non-Jew, Klemperer remained free until receiving his deportation notice on 13th February, 1945. That night the massive Allied bombing raid of Dresden took place. In the confusion caused by the firestorm, Klemperer was able to escape.

Klemperer kept a diary of his daily life in Nazi Germany and after the war was published in two volumes I Will Bear Witness: A Diary of the Nazi Years: 1933-1941 and To the Bitter End: 1942-1945. Victor Klemperer died in 1960.