As Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and one of the world's best-known modern philosophers I knew of Peter Singer but didn't actually know he was an Aussie. Pushing Time Away is only one of his many publications - including Practical Ethics, How Are We To Live?, and Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for our Treatment of Animals, published in 1975, regarded as the starting point for the worldwide animal liberation movement. So, this is pretty illustrious company. I love my meat and haven't read anything else by Singer, but very much enjoyed this peculiar little conceit. A conceit because its not really a memoir, or hard history, or even an extended obituary - while being a good example of all three. Singer's approach is simple enough - he never knew his maternal grandfather and discovers some letters that pique his interest seventy years after his grandfather dies. What he discovers is possibly what many of us wish to discover, that his grandfather was an intriguing, successful individual, revered in his own time. What he also discovers is what most of us can never hope to - his grandfather was similar to his grandson in many ways, was a celebrated writer, thinker and teacher, and was a contemporary and a confidante of Sigmund Freud, no less. Singer is a humble man, though, and seemingly grounded about his own success, so refrains from holding his grandfather in awe, and relates the story of his chequered life with sincerity, strong research, and, at times, comedy. This last quality is noteworthy because his grandfather, David Oppenheim's final years and fate are devastating, and hard to read after the illustrious ears of his youth and early professional life.
Oppenheim was a teacher and intellectual in early 20th century Austria - a period experienced by many as a Golden Age of thought, enlightenment and culture when Vienna was at the forefront of these prospects. We now know that this was a chimera - it took a world war to prove this - and David is one of the many walking casualties of that horrible war. He returns a decorated soldier but distant, chased by memories of carnage and loss. And things get progressively worse. He loses the inspiration to write, is frustrated professionally, and eventually becomes an enemy and ultimately a victim of the Nazi regime. David is a Jew in the darkest period of Jewish history, and all the more pathetic for his inability to see the dangers of the political situation as it steadily declines. Singer is proud of David's intellectual achievements, but he bemoans his scholarly remoteness: "in the hour when he needed it most, David's understanding of his fellow human beings failed him". David Oppenheim dies unheralded in the walled town/camp of Theresienstadt, Poland, one of the many millions.
His wife, Amalie, survives Theresienstadt and emigrates to Australia, bringing with her the many letters written to her by David throughout his life, and thus giving Singer the primary sources for his book. They provide a fascinating insight into he courtship, marriage and life of David and Amalie. In fact, for me they are the strongest part of the book. Singer touches on many historic moments but never belabours the historical detail, allowing the letters to specify one family's experience. He returns to some of the places of his grandparents' life, including, in one memorable passage, the school in Vienna where David taught classical languages and culture. It must have taken great restraint and sensitivity for Singer to relate the circumstances of his grandfather's demise without reverting to bitterness - although it may have just been a resignedness; it being pointless to begrudge the past really.
The most telling factor, that Singer keeps returning to, and which inspired him to write the book, is the closeness in intellectual rigour and even ethical positioning between David Oppenheim and himself. Considering he had never read any of his grandfather's writings or spoken to anyone in his family about his leanings, they arrive at an uncannily similar place. So, this is history, striated with family legend, and informed by a burning desire to understand humanity shared by two practical philosophers who never meet. It is not a light 'read', by any means, but a worthy project by a very confident and informed writer who is unforgivingly human. And if only we all had such a wealth of letters and published material from our own families, we might all be tempted to 'push time away' and find the things that bind us across the generations.
The wrap-up:
Australian themes - As a memoir, this book is written by an Australian emigre who is unconcerned by Australian themes.
Australian characters - Not so relevant in non-fiction, but the apparently tough-minded immigration officials who hinder the Oppenheim's emigration to Australia and thus seal their fate are chillingly real.
Australian settings - The Australia that the family members who do make it out come to is only thinly drawn.
Australian voices - Is there something particularly Australian about trying to delve into one's past?
Australian focus - Singer's focus is clear and Australia is just the end point.
