As a child of Holocaust survivors, singer and writer Judith Mok grew up without grandparents, aunts, or other extended family. But that painful past was always present through her parents' silences and whispers, and when her elder half-sister revealed that she witnessed their grandparents' arrest, Mok decided to finally bring her family's history into the light. The result is her memoir "The State of Dark", a moving commemoration of her relatives' passionate lives and the pain of their absence.
Mok spoke to FRANCE 24 about discovering the extent of her family's loss, her parents' love story, and learning that one of her idols and teachers – German soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf – was an active member of the Nazi Party.
Judith Mok will discuss her book at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris on Friday, January 27 at 7:30pm.
