Out of the NightA bestseller in 1941, selected by the Book of the Month Club for a special edition and described by Book of the Month Club News as: “...full of sensational revelations and interspersed with episodes of daring, of desperate conflict, of torture, and of ruthless conspiracy...It is, first of all, an autobiography the like of which has seldom been.” The son of a seafaring father, Richard Julius Herman Krebs, a.k.a. Jan Valtin, came of age as a bicycle messenger during a maritime rebellion. His life as an intimate insider account of the dramatic events of 1920’s and 1930s, where he rose both within the ranks of the Communist Party and on the Gestapo hit list. Known for his honesty and incredible memory, Krebs dedicated his life to the Communist Party, rising to a position as head of maritime, organizing worldwide for the Comintern, only to flee the Party and Europe to evade his own comrade’s attempts to kill him. As a professional revolutionary, agitator, spy and would-be assassin, Krebs traveled the globe from Germany to China, India to Sierra Leon, Moscow to the United States where a botched assassination attempt landed him a stint in San Quentin. From his spellbinding account of artful deception to gain release from a Nazi prison and his work as a double-agent within the Gestapo, to his vivid depiction of a Communist Party fraught with intrigue and subterfuge, Krebs gives an unflinching portrayal of the internal machinations of both parties. |
From inside the book
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Book One — THEY CALLED IT DAWN 5 Chapter One — LUMPENHUND 5 Chapter Two — SAILOR'S WAY 16 Chapter Three — I STRIKE OUT 29 Chapter Four — SMUGGLING FOR THE COMINTERN 39 Chapter Five — “DID YOU EVER KILLA MAN?
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Book One — THEY CALLED IT DAWN 5 Chapter One — LUMPENHUND 5 Chapter Two — SAILOR'S WAY 16 Chapter Three — I STRIKE OUT 29 Chapter Four — SMUGGLING FOR THE COMINTERN 39 Chapter Five — “DID YOU EVER KILLA MAN?
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... “you'd have waited all of two years for your turn to ship out.” “They killed a man up there,” I said. “That's all right, you'll get used to that...Let's have a beer.” Chapter Three — I STRIKE OUT I wandered about aimlessly,
... “you'd have waited all of two years for your turn to ship out.” “They killed a man up there,” I said. “That's all right, you'll get used to that...Let's have a beer.” Chapter Three — I STRIKE OUT I wandered about aimlessly,
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Chapter Three — I STRIKE OUT I wandered about aimlessly, thinking what to do. Shall I run away from this diseased country? Or shall I join the forces which are actively attacking the wrongs that made my blood rebel?
Chapter Three — I STRIKE OUT I wandered about aimlessly, thinking what to do. Shall I run away from this diseased country? Or shall I join the forces which are actively attacking the wrongs that made my blood rebel?
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Action means strikes. Mass strikes are the prelude to armed insurrection. We must bring conditions to a revolutionary boiling point, with any and all means at our command. Is that clear to you?
Action means strikes. Mass strikes are the prelude to armed insurrection. We must bring conditions to a revolutionary boiling point, with any and all means at our command. Is that clear to you?
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The order of the day called for transformation of sporadic strikes into a general strike, which in turn was to be the prelude to armed insurrection. An emissary of Radek, an ascetic-looking, fair-haired Russian named Kommissarenko, ...
The order of the day called for transformation of sporadic strikes into a general strike, which in turn was to be the prelude to armed insurrection. An emissary of Radek, an ascetic-looking, fair-haired Russian named Kommissarenko, ...
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User Review - Hurtgen - LibraryThingThe son of a seafaring father, Richard Julius Herman Krebs, a.k.a. Jan Valtin, came of age as a bicycle messenger during a maritime rebellion. His life as an intimate insider account of the dramatic ... Read full review
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Out of the Night: The Memoir of Richard Julius Herman Krebs Alias Jan Valtin Jan Valtin Limited preview - 2004 |
Common terms and phrases
aboard action agents answer arms arrested arrived asked became Berlin brought called carried cell chief close Comintern command Committee communist Communist Party Comrade Copenhagen courier crew death door eyes face Firelei five followed force four front gave German Gestapo girl give guards Hall Hamburg hands harbor head Hitler hundred Inspector International knew later leaders live looked marched mass meeting months morning Moscow Nazi never night once ordered organization Party passed police political ports prison questions received returned Russian sailors Scotland Yard secret sent ship showed side Soviet station stood stopped storm street strike talk tell thought told took train troopers turned Union units voice waiting walls Walter wanted week window Wollweber workers yard young
Bibliographic information
| Title | Out of the Night |
| Author | Jan Valtin |
| Publisher | Pickle Partners Publishing, 2020 |
| ISBN | 1839742356, 9781839742354 |
| Length | 724 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |