Fabian Brunner’s letter is the last letter written before he was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp, where he perished in June 1944. The letter, written while working as a forced laborer at an unidentified agricultural center, refers to his wife Sidonia Brunner being sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. The letter reflects Fabian’s anguish at not knowing the fate of his family. The woman to whom the letter is addressed is unknown but believed to be a Christian woman who was assisting or at least trusted by Brunner. The English translation of the letter was compiled by the donor's family.
The Fabian Brunner letter is arranged in a single series.
Fabian Brunner (1876-1944) was born on January 30, 1876 to Jozef and Karolin Brunner in Egyek, Hungary. He married Sidonia Lindner (1876-1944) and they had three sons: József (b. October 13, 1905), Mirko, Ladislav (Laci). They lived in Sombor, Yugoslavia, now Serbia. Fabian worked at an unnamed agricultural center as a forced laborer. On April 26, 1944, Sidonia Brunner was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp, where she perished. Not long after, Fabian was also transported to Auschwitz concentration camp where he perished in June 1944. Fabian’s eldest son, József Brunner, was a writer and utilized the nom de plume József Debreczeni. He worked as the editor of the Hungarian daily Napló (Bácsmegyei Napló) in Subotica, 1925-1932 and the illustrated weekly Ünnep in Budpest, 1933-1938. József survived the war. After 1945, he was a contributor to Hungarian newspapers and wrote poems, plays, and novels. His play Indecent Street was performed in Budapest in 1933 and Change was performed in Belgrade in 1953. József was married to Lenke Brunner (née Rosenberg, 1910-1944). Lenke was born in 1910 to Isidor and Paula Rosenberg (née Linder) in Stanišić, Yugoslavia, now Serbia. She was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp where she perished in June 1944. All three of Fabian’s sons survived the war.
Fabian Brunner letter
folder 1
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum