William N. Walker

 
Overview

Inspired by actual events, Danzig is a story of diplomatic conflict and political intrigue in Central Europe during the 1930’s. Richly atmospheric, it is a gripping historical novel in the grand tradition.

The Free City of Danzig was established by the Treaty of Versailles as a mandate to be protected by the League of Nations and its High Commissioner. In 1933, the Nazi party took control of Danzig and pursued a hostile and violent agenda aimed at overthrowing the League’s High Commissioner and subverting its constitutional protections.

Sean Lester, an Irish diplomat, was the League’s High Commissioner in Danzig and Paul Muller, a young man fresh from university, was his secretary during this tense period. The story portrays the roles played by Lester and Muller as repeated crises engulfed Danzig and high stakes confrontations led to diplomatic clashes and, finally, political betrayal. Their story vividly captures the struggle between rampant Nazi ascendency and the League’s mandate to preserve Danzig’s fragile democracy.

Through the eyes of Lester and Muller, from their perch at the epicenter of the Danzig conflict, we watch Hitler consolidating power and flexing growing German strength; we see Britain embracing a policy of feckless appeasement, unwilling to confront the looming German menace; and we are caught up in the hothouse atmosphere of a hesitant League of Nations, brimming with intrigue and infighting and ultimately failing to deliver on its promise of peace through diplomacy and collective security.

This is a work of fiction, but aficionados of interwar novels will relish the compelling narrative. Many of the story’s characters were real people and the events described actually happened. Danzig brings them vividly back to life and invites readers to experience the drama of clashes within the Nazi leadership, rivalries among Western politicians pursuing competing agendas, and the lonely role of the League’s High Commissioner trying to face down dangerous adversaries.

Sophisticated historical fiction, this is a gripping tale in a fateful time: the struggle for the Free City of Danzig.