Warum ich nicht fragte, ob Hanna noch lebt, weiß ich nicht – vielleicht aus Angst, er würde mir sagen, Hanna sei nach Theresienstadt gekommen.

—Max Frisch, »Homo faber«, in Romane, Erzählungen, Tagebücher, (Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2008), 740.

I was at the main library last night looking for books on the Prague Spring when my attention was drawn to what appeared to be a colorful book of photos of Theresienstadt, which seemed to me odd, but it was, in fact, a nicely printed tour guide to Theresienstadt. That was the first thing that struck me at Terezín you know, „Visit the historic sites from the years 1940 – 1945.“ Sometimes I almost feel an insistent finger poking me in the shoulder and hear a voice scolding „You only thought you were interested in that fickle wench History, but yes, that’s right, it’s me, Semiotics, I’m still here you big galoot, and you can’t just go on pretending to ignore me.“