The life and work of Jacques Presser

Philo Bregstein in 1969 and 1970 interviewed Jacques Presser (1899-1970), already in his seventies. This historian and writer became known for his book Ondergang: de ververvolging en verdelging van het Nederlandse Jodendom 1940-1945 (The Hague: Staatsuitgeverij, 1965). In 1950, the Dutch state commissioned Presser to conduct a study of the fate of the Jews during World War II. For this, Presser spent fifteen years in the NIOD archives. The published book subsequently became a bestseller. Presser is also the creator of the term ego document and is considered one of the great Dutch historians of the modern era.

First of all, Bregstein conducted these interviews for the purposes of the television film Dingen die niet voorbijgaan, broadcast by VARA on May 8, 1970, and in a second, revised and expanded version on October 19, 1970. These interviews included discussions about his childhood, his choice of history as a subject and his experiences as a Jew during the occupation period. From the interview material, Bregstein compiled the commentary for the film.

This film commentary was in turn published in the book Dingen die niet voorbijgaan. Persoonlijk geschiedverhaal van 1900 tot vandaag / verteld door Jacques Presser; in beeld gebracht door Philo Bregstein, Amsterdam, 1970. In 1981 the book was reissued as: Dingen die niet voorbijgaan. Persoonlijk geschiedverhaal verteld door Jacques Presser / film van Philo Bregstein, Amsterdam: Meulenhoff (film texts), 1981. More extensive interviews were incorporated in: Gesprekken met Jacques Presser. Gevoerd door Philo Bregstein, Amsterdam: Athenaeum-Polak & Van Gennep, 1972

Also see the collection Jacques Presser, where Nanda van der Zee interviewed many people after Presser’s death for a biography.