If the House Could Speak - Episode 2 - echo of a sound removed / Outerlands
“MARTA/THE FIRE LAST TIME”
Part 1 begins at 7:10
Marta Feuchtwanger was the widow of the German-Jewish novelist Lion Feuchtwanger, best known for works like Jud Süß and The Oppermanns. Together, the Feuchtwangers fled Nazi Germany and eventually settled in Los Angeles in the early 1940s, where they became central figures in the community of European intellectual exiles living in Pacific Palisades. Their home, Villa Aurora, became a cultural hub for émigré artists, writers, and thinkers.
In this particular excerpt from Tape 28, Marta speaks on the rare volumes in the Feucthwanger library and recounts her experience of the 1961 Bel Air wildfire that came dangerously close to Villa Aurora. At the time, Marta was in her mid-80s and largely confined to her home. She describes watching the flames approach from her balcony, refusing evacuation and the interventions of firefighters—along with her memories of fleeing other fires in the past, both literal and political.
This excerpt comes from a 50-hour interview conducted by Lawrence Weschler begining on September 15, 1975 and completed under the auspices of the UCLA Oral History Program.
Recording courtesy of the UCLA Department of Special Collections.
Transcript
Part II begins at 51:53
Feuchtwanger Refreshed is an ongoing collaboration between USC's School of Dramatic Arts MFA Dramatic Writing Program, USC Libraries, and Villa Aurora through which graduate playwrights and their instructors present short scenes inspired by archival holdings and writings from USC's Feuchtwanger Memorial Library.
In this episode we hear the first three pieces performed as part of “The Fires Last Time.” Written and performed by student playwrights of the MFA Dramatic Writing Program at USC, these three excerpts take different perspectives on what it means to be home, and the way is in which that definition can create sanctuary for people in exile
Broadcast live on KFQM 101.5 by LOOKOUT FM.
Part 1 begins at 7:10
Marta Feuchtwanger was the widow of the German-Jewish novelist Lion Feuchtwanger, best known for works like Jud Süß and The Oppermanns. Together, the Feuchtwangers fled Nazi Germany and eventually settled in Los Angeles in the early 1940s, where they became central figures in the community of European intellectual exiles living in Pacific Palisades. Their home, Villa Aurora, became a cultural hub for émigré artists, writers, and thinkers.
In this particular excerpt from Tape 28, Marta speaks on the rare volumes in the Feucthwanger library and recounts her experience of the 1961 Bel Air wildfire that came dangerously close to Villa Aurora. At the time, Marta was in her mid-80s and largely confined to her home. She describes watching the flames approach from her balcony, refusing evacuation and the interventions of firefighters—along with her memories of fleeing other fires in the past, both literal and political.
This excerpt comes from a 50-hour interview conducted by Lawrence Weschler begining on September 15, 1975 and completed under the auspices of the UCLA Oral History Program.
Recording courtesy of the UCLA Department of Special Collections.
Transcript
Part II begins at 51:53
Feuchtwanger Refreshed is an ongoing collaboration between USC's School of Dramatic Arts MFA Dramatic Writing Program, USC Libraries, and Villa Aurora through which graduate playwrights and their instructors present short scenes inspired by archival holdings and writings from USC's Feuchtwanger Memorial Library.
In this episode we hear the first three pieces performed as part of “The Fires Last Time.” Written and performed by student playwrights of the MFA Dramatic Writing Program at USC, these three excerpts take different perspectives on what it means to be home, and the way is in which that definition can create sanctuary for people in exile
The Fire Creates Its Own Storm From the Heat - by Eliza Kuperschmid
Home is a Revolutionary Act - by Claire Bernstein
Turtle and Blaze - by Collin Romero
The event “The Fires Last Time” was organized by USC Feuchtwanger Memorial Library and Villa Aurora, performed at the Glorya Kaufman Community Center at the Wende Museum on April 29, 2025.Broadcast live on KFQM 101.5 by LOOKOUT FM.
Listen to “MARTA/THE FIRE LAST TIME”