Apex Blog: Tattoos, Memory, and the Holocaust

[mabfan]

In the year 2000, I wrote a scene for the story "Kaddish for the Last Survivor," in which the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor gets a tattoo on her arm to honor her grandfather. The story, which appeared in the November 2000 Analog, was nominated for the Hugo and the Nebula and is probably my best-known story.

Just last week, the New York Times ran an article about people doing this for real.

I've posted my thoughts on this at the Apex blog today.

Comments

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

I remember how disturbing I found that imagery from your story.

Knowing that it has happened, makes me just as disturbed. Perhaps because I just don't like tattoos.

My mother had no tattoos. Just one physical and uncounted psychic scars.

I salute people who keep the memory alive. I'll find a different way.

[madwriter.livejournal.com]

For me that was actually one of the most poignant story endings I'd ever read. Whether this is coincidence or not, I'm not surprised more people are doing the tattoos now.