Two Lives

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A heartrending new book tells the story of a marriage and two intertwined lives. Shanti Behari Seth, born in 1908 in India, was raised during the decline of the Raj and sent to Berlin in the 1930s to study medicine, despite not knowing German. It was in Berlin that he met his future wife, Helga Gerda Caro, known as "Henny," who was born into a Jewish family. Initially hesitant about taking Shanti as a lodger, Henny's perspective changed as their friendship blossomed. When she fled Nazi Germany for England just before the war, Shanti was the only familiar face waiting for her at Victoria Station. The narrative unfolds further with the arrival of their great-nephew, Vikram Seth, weaving together a rich tapestry that spans India, the Third Reich, the Holocaust, and postwar Britain. The story serves as both a historical account of a tumultuous century and an intimate portrayal of the couple's friendship, marriage, and complex love. Blending biography, memoir, and reflections on contemporary issues, this remarkable tale showcases the resilience of two extraordinary individuals, told masterfully by one of the greatest living writers.