Eric Koch
Encyclopedia
Eric Otto Koch is a Canadian author, broadcaster and professor.
during World War I
.
In 1935, after the Nazis took power, he and his family fled to England as refugees. Koch continued his studies at Cranbrook School
in Kent, England before enrolling at Cambridge University to study law. In 1940, he and other Germans resident in Britain were detained as enemy alien
s. Koch was deported to Canada where he remained interned until 1941 when he and most of his fellow internees were recognised by the government as "victims of Nazi aggression" and released. Koch continued his studies at the University of Toronto
where he completed his law degree.
In 1944 he was recruited to join the German
Section of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's new International Service
broadcasting programmes from Montreal
to Germany, initially as part of Canada's psychological warfare
campaign during World War II
and subsequently as part of efforts to educate Germans in democracy. Koch remained with the CBC for 35 years serving from 1953 to 1967 as a member of the Department of Talks and Public Affairs in Toronto. He was promoted in 1967 to Area Head, Arts and Science and was responsible for the creation of a large number of radio and television programmes. From 1971 to 1977, he served as regional director in Montreal.
He retired from the broadcaster in 1979 in order to focus on writing books and teaching at York University
where he was a course director in the Social Science Division and taught a course on The Politics of Canadian Broadcasting for 18 years. Koch is the author of 13 books of fiction, varying in genre from satire
to historical fiction
and five works of non-fiction. Hilmar and Odette, the story of two of his half-Jewish relatives who remained in Germany during World War II and their contrasting fates, was awarded the Yad Vashem Prize for Holocaust Writing in 1996.
His historical fiction has been set in the recent German past, particularly the period from the late 19th century and into the Weimar Republic
, and has been published in Germany
as well as Canada
.
Life
Koch was born in 1919 into a prominent assimilated German Jewish family. His grandfather was a court jeweller and his father, was an officer in the German ArmyGerman Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1935, after the Nazis took power, he and his family fled to England as refugees. Koch continued his studies at Cranbrook School
Cranbrook School, Kent
Cranbrook School is a co-educational boarding and day grammar school located in Cranbrook, Kent in South East England.-Brief history:Founded in 1518 for poor boys of the town, it received a charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1574. Although in 1817 the town petitioned the Master of the Rolls,...
in Kent, England before enrolling at Cambridge University to study law. In 1940, he and other Germans resident in Britain were detained as enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
s. Koch was deported to Canada where he remained interned until 1941 when he and most of his fellow internees were recognised by the government as "victims of Nazi aggression" and released. Koch continued his studies at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
where he completed his law degree.
In 1944 he was recruited to join the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Section of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's new International Service
Radio Canada International
Radio Canada International is the international broadcasting service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Until 1970, it was known as the CBC International Service and was sometimes referred to as the "Voice of Canada" in its early years.- The early years :The idea for creating an...
broadcasting programmes from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to Germany, initially as part of Canada's psychological warfare
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
campaign during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and subsequently as part of efforts to educate Germans in democracy. Koch remained with the CBC for 35 years serving from 1953 to 1967 as a member of the Department of Talks and Public Affairs in Toronto. He was promoted in 1967 to Area Head, Arts and Science and was responsible for the creation of a large number of radio and television programmes. From 1971 to 1977, he served as regional director in Montreal.
He retired from the broadcaster in 1979 in order to focus on writing books and teaching at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
where he was a course director in the Social Science Division and taught a course on The Politics of Canadian Broadcasting for 18 years. Koch is the author of 13 books of fiction, varying in genre from satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
to historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
and five works of non-fiction. Hilmar and Odette, the story of two of his half-Jewish relatives who remained in Germany during World War II and their contrasting fates, was awarded the Yad Vashem Prize for Holocaust Writing in 1996.
His historical fiction has been set in the recent German past, particularly the period from the late 19th century and into the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, and has been published in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as well as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Satirical fiction
- The French Kiss: a tongue-in-cheek political fantasy, (1969)
- Leisure riots (1973)
- The last thing you'd want to know (1976)
- Goodnight little spy (1979)
Historical fiction
- Icon In Love: A Novel Abouot Goethe (1999)
- The Man Who Knew Charlie Chaplin (2000)
- The Brothers Hambourg (2000)
- Earrings: Baden-Baden 1885 (2002)
- Premonitions: A novel (2008)
- Arabian nights! 1914: a novel about Kaiser Wilhelm II (2010)
- The Weimar Triangle (2010)
Non-fiction
- Success of a mission: Lord Durham in Canada (1961)
- Deemed suspect: A Wartime Blunder (1985) - biographical
- Inside Seven Days: the show that shook the nation (1986)
- Hilmar and Odette: Two Stories from the Nazi Era (1995)
- I remember the location exactly (2010) - family history and biography