This Present So Evanescent: The Diaries of Margaret Rosa Kunz, 1935-1936
Long before she married David Ruhe, a teenage Margaret Kunz traveled from Illinois to Italy, her parents’ native Switzerland, and Germany. On the verge of World War II, Europe was a hotbed of old civilizations uncomfortably coexisting with new philosophies and social movements that would soon ravage it. Throughout her journeys Margaret kept a diary, commenting on her daily round of friends and classes, and observing the fervor of the time. Then she returned home to the United States, and the diary was abandoned. Following Margaret’s death, her son Christopher discovered the diary and prepared it for publication. Margaret’s unique view of prewar Europe, an introduction to the Kunz family, and a 1922 pilgrimage account by Margaret’s mother Anna are among the treasures included here.