Draughtsman
‘Absolutely exceptional. So beautifully written, with precision and wisdom and real emotional acuity … A remarkable achievement’ STEPHEN KELMAN, author of Pigeon English
Erfurt, Germany, 1944.
Ernst Beck has a new job at prestigious engineering firm, Topf & Sons: finally, he can make a contribution to the war effort, provide for his beautiful wife, Etta, and make his parents proud. But there is a price.
He is assigned to the firm’s smallest team, the Special Ovens Department. Reporting directly to Berlin his role is to annotate plans for new crematoria that are deliberately designed to burn day and night. Their destination: the concentration camps. Topf’s new client: the SS. Ernst must choose between turning a blind eye, or speaking out for the fate of thousands.
Bold and powerful, The Draughtsman shines a light on the complex contradictions of human nature and examines how deeply complicit we can become in the face of fear.
Robert Lautner was born in Middlesex in 1970. Before becoming a writer he owned his own comic-book store, worked as a wine merchant, photographic consultant and recruitment consultant. He now lives on the Pembrokeshire coast in a wooden cabin with his wife and children.