331:. The memoir was the first inside exposé of the European neo-Nazi movement, told from the perspective of a young East German coming of age in the extremist youth subcultures of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Hasselbach had been the leader of the East German neo-Nazis, and in 1993 had renounced the movement in a spectacular manner. For the English-language version of his memoir, during the summer of 1994 Hasselbach and Reiss stayed in an isolated cabin in Sweden where Hasselbach was in hiding, and Reiss interviewed him for the book. A 21,000-word excerpt of
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Napoleon himself had already abandoned, and he was captured by enemy forces in Naples and thrown in a dungeon for two years. By the time he was released, Napoleon had risen to power and reinstated racism and slavery in France and its colonies, leaving Dumas with few recourses. The debilitation
277:. Reiss used his German to better understand members of his family, who had escaped Nazi Europe in the 1930s. His maternal grandparents had been murdered by the Nazis, after being deported from Paris to Auschwitz, but his mother survived as a hidden child in France during
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in
Manhattan and then in San Antonio and Dallas, Texas, where his father worked as an Air Force neurosurgeon. After that, his family moved to western Massachusetts, and he spent the rest of his childhood and adolescence in New England. He attended the
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Reiss traveled to ten countries to research the book, which details not only
Nussimbaum's life, but also extensive local and historical background of the times, and also Reiss's search to find and piece together Nussimbaum's biographical details.
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Reiss was influenced by various jobs he held, such as hospital orderly, bartender, small business entrepreneur, teacher, and, in Japan, rock band member and actor in television commercials and gangster films.
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When
Barthelme died in summer 1989, Reiss left Texas and traveled to Germany in order to begin researching his family history, and became fascinated by the rapidly changing political and social context in
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and Paris, and in 1922 ended up in
Germany. There, Nussimbaum converted to Islam, disguised himself as a Muslim prince, and became an author, publishing prolifically under his new name "
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called the book a "remarkable and almost compulsively researched account" and stated that "the author spent a decade on the case, and it shows." "To tell this tale", wrote
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581:"The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life by Tom Reiss | 9780812972764 | Paperback | Barnes & Noble"
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and co-written with
Winfried Bonengel, who subsequently co-wrote and directed the 2002 German film adaptation of the story, titled
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chose it as one of the "10 Best Books of 2012" in the "Biographies and
Memoirs" category. The book was chosen by
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youth, in an attempt to learn why they were embracing the political and sociological ideals of their ancestors.
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fell. In order to effectively search documents and communicate with German citizens, he taught himself the
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for best nonfiction book in the
English language. It has been translated into more than 20 languages.
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author, historian, and journalist. He is the author of three nonfiction books, the latest of which is
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magazine, graduating in 1987. In 1989, Reiss returned to Texas to study creative writing at the
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193:(2005), which became an international bestseller. As a journalist, Reiss has written for
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with his father in 1920. The
Nussimbaums sought refuge in several locations, including
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from Dumas's long imprisonment led to his early death, but his life inspired his son
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The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
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The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
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The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
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appeared on multiple "best of" lists since its publication in
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appeared on many "top ten" lists in 2005, and was shortlisted for the 2006
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NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography
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669:"Picks and Pans: Pages – The Practical Guide to Practically Everything"
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189:(1996), the first inside exposé of the European neo-Nazi movement; and
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893:"2013 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography | Citation"
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The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life
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The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life
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included it in their list of Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2012.
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1085:"National Book Critics Circle Names 2012 Award Finalists"
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named it one of the 100 most notable books of 2012, and
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in the biography category, and it was nominated for an
1150:"The Vanishing Fascination of Truly Anonymous Authors"
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and went into hiding in Italy, where he died in 1942.
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Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography winners
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listed it as one of the Best 5 Biographies of 2012.
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1112:"NAACP Image Awards: The complete nominations list"
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423:PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography
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419:Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
183:Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
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16:American author, historian, and journalist
809:"Biography: The Orientalist by Tom Reiss"
554:"Q&A with Pulitzer Winner Tom Reiss."
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940:"'The Black Count' by Tom Reiss - Books"
281:. While in Germany, he also interviewed
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783:"Turkish delight: Rory Stewart reviews
313:Führer-Ex: Memoirs of a Former Neo-Nazi
187:Führer-Ex: Memoirs of a Former Neo-Nazi
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451:200 years later. Dumas's rivalry with
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319:. The German-language version, titled
307:Reiss co-wrote the English version of
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1057:"Best Biographies of 2012 : NPR"
1055:Schaub, Michael (December 28, 2012).
602:"The Rumpus Interview With Tom Reiss"
1167:, with 3 library catalog records
1110:Sandell, Scott (December 11, 2012).
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359:(1905–1942), who as a teen fled the
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1083:Williams, John (January 14, 2013).
677:. February 26, 1996; Vol. 45 No. 8.
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1010:"Biographies & Memoirs: Books"
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604:. The Rumpus.net. 28 February 2013
531:National Book Critics Circle Award
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219:Reiss was born on May 5, 1964, in
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983:"The Black Count, Tom Reiss"
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964:"100 Notable Books of 2012"
381:". In 1938 Nussimbaum fled
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839:. Autumn 2005; Number 199.
762:Ali and Nino: A Love Story
429:, the mixed-race son of a
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467:The Count of Monte Cristo
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1344:and Tamara Payne (2021)
895:. pen.org. 25 July 2013
628:Internet Movie Database
464:to write books such as
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315:, published in 1996 by
202:The Wall Street Journal
1492:Harvard College alumni
831:"Radical reinventions"
427:Thomas-Alexandre Dumas
137:2013
1487:The New Yorker people
873:. The Pulitzer Prizes
250:University of Houston
96:University of Houston
1214:David Levering Lewis
1091:. The New York Times
970:. November 27, 2012.
759:. In: Said, Kurban.
747:. February 13, 2005.
692:"How Nazis Are Made"
667:Brennan, Christine.
642:(February 4, 1996).
583:. Barnesandnoble.com
473:The Three Musketeers
395:Samuel Johnson Prize
361:Bolshevik Revolution
245:The Harvard Advocate
105:Historical biography
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413:Reiss's 2012 book,
239:The Harvard Crimson
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968:The New York Times
715:Horwell, Veronica
648:The New York Times
500:The New York Times
225:Washington Heights
208:The New York Times
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915:"The Black Count"
644:"The Blond Beast"
561:. April 16, 2013.
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1238:Mark Stevens
1155:The Guardian
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1270:Jon Meacham
1226:Robert Caro
1204:(2001–2025)
1095:January 15,
379:Kurban Said
283:East German
271:Berlin Wall
55:May 5, 1964
1441:Categories
1041:2013-05-18
1016:2013-05-18
949:2013-05-18
924:2013-05-18
899:2013-08-16
877:2013-05-18
856:2013-05-18
608:2013-05-18
587:2013-05-18
541:References
511:Amazon.com
311:'s memoir
269:after the
80:journalist
68:Occupation
51:1964-05-05
1425:2001–2025
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1397:1917–1925
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1342:Les Payne
1294:Tom Reiss
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792:Telegraph
623:Führer Ex
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333:Führer-Ex
329:Führer Ex
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169:Tom Reiss
114:Führer-Ex
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30:Tom Reiss
1248:Kai Bird
517:as the "
453:Napoleon
286:neo-Nazi
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158:tomreiss
143:Children
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