Wim and Bill: A self-portrait of Willem Jean Brender à Brandis, 1911-2012
“Wim” aged about 32, drawn by a fellow prisoner in the German POW camp where he spent three years during the Second World War.
“Bill,” aged 98.
Several of my earlier works dealt with the lives and careers of family members, and my latest publication continues that sequence.
In his old age, my father (known in Canada as Bill) wrote memoirs about his youth – a time when, before emigrating from the Netherlands to Canada, he was Wim Brender à Brandis. He was born in 1911 and emigrated in 1947: these memoirs cover the intervening years and give a vivid picture of his youth and early adulthood. He wrote them in English so that his descendants, most of whom now live in the United States, could read them. My preparation of this edition therefore did not involve translation, but the memoirs required editing. Bill often overlooked the fact that his American descendants would probably not be able to identify ancestors, nor be familiar with place-names in the Netherlands. Fortunately I am, and therefore – drawing on family archives, photo albums, and many other sources, as well as personal memories – I provided explanations and annotations.
The book includes Bill’s recording of a tradition about the origins of the Brender à Brandis family, and biographical sketches of some of his and Madzy’s forebears.
Realizing that this book would not have a large general appeal, I produced a dozen copies for family and close friends. One will go with the family papers to the McMaster University Archives.
However, I will be glad to answer enquiries, which can be sent to me using the contact form on this website.