The Dark Dad War and trauma — a daughter's tale

by Kisler, Mary

• ISBN13: 9781991016560
• ISBN10: 1991016565
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2025-07-01
• Publisher: Massey University Press

Summary

Art historian Mary Kisler grew up in the early 1950s with a father who talked little, whose affection she cherished and whose anger she feared. She later came to understand the trauma that lay behind his dark moods: rejection and violence in his childhood and the brutal experience of being a prisoner of war in Italy and then Germany from late 1941 to 1945. In this affecting memoir, she traces back through her father’ s life and war record, discovering a man who had suffered but who ultimately found peace of mind among the people he loved most.

Author Biography

Art historian, curator and writer Mary Kisler MNZM worked for 21 years at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, latterly as Senior Curator, Mackelvie Collection, International Art. In 2016, she was Craig Hugh Smyth Fellow at the Harvard Centre for Renaissance Art, Villa I Tatti, Florence, researching Italian works held in New Zealand Public Collections. Her previous publications include Angels & Aristocrats: Early European art in New Zealand public collections (Godwit, 2010); Finding Frances Hodgkins (Massey University Press, 2019).

Table of Contents

1. The dark dad 9 2. A difficult childhood 13 3. Life on the hill 25 4. A call to war 31 5. Egypt 37 6. To Greece and back again 55 7. The Battle of Sidi Rezegh 67 8. Capture 85 9. The journey to Campo PG 66, Capua 93 10. PG 52, Chiavari, Pian di Coreglia 109 11. PG 57, Gruppignano 129 12. PG 103/6, Ampezzo 147 13. Stalag XI-A, Altengrabow 165 14. Stalag XI-B, Fallingbostel 177 15. Repatriation 189 16. The return home 202 17. Aftermath 207 18. Final struggle 228 Postscript 235 Notes 238 Bibliography 252 Acknowledgements 259 About the author 263