Una vez

Por Morris Gleitzman

Los nazis arrasan Europa.
Solamente los sueños de algunos niños consiguen huir.
Varsovia, 1942

Una vez me escapé de un orfanato para encontrar a Mamá y a Papá.
Una vez salvé a una niña llamada Elda de un incendio.
Una vez hice reír a un nazi con dolor de muelas.

Me llamo Felix.
Esta es mi historia.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Kailas Editorial
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 20 sept 2016
• ISBN: 9788416523559

Vista previa del libro

Los nazis arrasan Europa.

Solamente los sueños de algunos niños consiguen huir.

Varsovia, 1942

Una vez me escapé de un orfanato para encontrar a Mamá y a Papá.

Una vez salvé a una niña llamada Elda de un incendio.

Una vez hice reír a un nazi con dolor de muelas.

Me llamo Felix.

Esta es mi historia.

Una vez

Morris Gleitzman

Título: Una vez

Título original: Once

© 2005, Morris Gleitzman

© 2016 de esta edición: Kailas Editorial, S.L.

Calle Tutor, 51, 7. 28008 Madrid

© 2008, de la traducción: Cora Tiedra

Diseño de cubierta: Rafael Ricoy

Realización: Carlos Gutiérrez y Olga Canals

ISBN ebook: 978-84-16523-55-9

ISBN papel: 978-84-16523-51-1

Todos los derechos reservados. Esta publicación no puede ser reproducida, ni en todo ni en parte, ni registrada en o transmitida por un sistema de recuperación de información en ninguna forma ni por ningún medio, sea mecánico, fotomecánico, electrónico, magnético, electroóptico, por fotocopia, o cualquier otro, sin el permiso por escrito de la editorial.

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Para todos los niños cuyas historias

no han sido contadas

Una vez estuve viviendo en un orfanato en las montañas, un lugar en el que nunca debí haber estado y en el que casi provoco una gran revuelta.

Todo fue por culpa de la zanahoria.

¿Sabes cuando una monja te sirve la sopa muy caliente de una olla muy grande y te hace inclinarte tanto para que no gotee, que el vaho de la olla empaña tus gafas, y no las puedes limpiar porque estás sujetando el plato y la neblina no se va, aunque reces a Dios, a Jesús, a la Virgen María, al Papa y a Adolf Hitler?

Pues eso es lo que me está pasando ahora mismo.

Me las apaño como puedo para encontrar el camino de vuelta a mi sitio. Utilizo mis oídos para orientarme.

Dodie, que siempre se sienta a mi lado, hace mucho ruido al sorber porque tiene los dientes torcidos. Me pongo el plato sobre la cabeza para que ningún otro niño me quite mi sopa y los sorbidos de Dodie me guían en medio del vapor. Voy a tientas hasta que encuentro el borde de la mesa y apoyo el plato, y me limpio las gafas.

En este momento veo la zanahoria.

Está flotando en mi sopa, se ve enorme entre las hebras de col y los pedacitos viscosos de cerdo grasiento, las cuatro lentejas y los trozos de escayola gris del techo de la cocina.

Una zanahoria entera.

No me lo puedo creer. En tres años y ocho meses que llevo en este orfanato nunca había tenido una zanahoria entera en mi plato. Ni yo ni nadie. Ni siquiera las monjas tienen una zanahoria entera y eso que ellas se sirven raciones mucho más grandes que nosotros, los niños, porque necesitan energía extra para ser santas.

Aquí arriba en las montañas no podemos cultivar vegetales. Ni siquiera aunque recemos mucho. Es por culpa de las heladas. Por eso si te encuentras una zanahoria entera en este lugar, lo primero que tienes que hacer es contemplarla y luego hacerla pedazos, los suficientes para que sesenta y dos niños, once monjas y un cura puedan probar un trocito.

Miro fijamente la zanahoria.

En este momento soy probablemente el único niño de toda Polonia con una zanahoria entera en su plato. Durante unos segundos pienso que es un milagro. Pero no puede ser porque los milagros sólo pasaban hace millones de años y ahora estamos en 1942.

Entonces me doy cuenta de lo que significa la zanahoria y me tengo que sentar rápidamente antes de que mis piernas flojeen y me desplome.

No me lo puedo creer.

Por fin. Gracias, Dios, Jesús, María, el Papa y Adolf Hitler, llevo mucho tiempo esperando esto.

Es una señal.

Esta zanahoria es una señal de Mamá y Papá. Ellos me han enviado mi verdura preferida para que sepa que sus problemas se han terminado. Para que sepa que después de tres interminables años y ocho interminables meses las cosas han mejorado para los libreros judíos. Para que sepa que van a venir a buscarme para llevarme de vuelta a casa.

Sí.

Mareado de la emoción meto los dedos en la sopa y cojo la zanahoria.

Afortunadamente los otros niños están concentrados en su cena, levantando la cuchara hambrientos y echando un vistazo al plato por si acaso se topasen con una pizca de carne o con restos de boñigas de rata.

Tengo que darme prisa.

Si los demás niños ven la zanahoria van a sentir mucha envidia y va a haber un gran revuelo.

Estamos en un orfanato. Se supone que todo el que está aquí tiene a sus padres muertos. Si los otros niños descubren que los míos no lo están, se pondrán muy tristes y las monjas que nos cuidan podrían meterse en un lío con la oficina central católica de Varsovia por haber incumplido las normas.

—Felix San Stanislaus.

Casi se me cae la zanahoria al suelo. Es la voz de la Madre Minka, que grita mi nombre desde su mesa presidencial.

Todo el mundo levanta la vista.

—No se juega con la comida, Felix —dice la Madre Minka—. Si ha encontrado un bicho en su plato, sólo tiene que comérselo y estar agradecido.

Los demás niños, todos, me están mirando fijamente. Algunos están sonriendo. Otros fruncen el ceño preguntándose qué es lo que está pasando. Intento no parecer el típico niño que acaba de meterse una zanahoria en el bolsillo. Estoy muy feliz y no me importa que me escuezan los dedos por haberlos metido en la sopa hirviendo.

Mamá y Papá, por fin vais a venir a por mí.

Deben de estar abajo, en el pueblo, y han debido darle la zanahoria al Padre Ludwik para que me la subiese y así darme una sorpresa.

Cuando todos los niños vuelven la vista a sus platos, sonrío a la Madre Minka agradecido. Es muy buena, ha hecho una broma para apartar la atención de mi zanahoria.

Hubo dos razones por las que Mamá y Papá eligieron este orfanato: porque era el más cercano y por la bondad de la Madre Minka. El día que me trajeron aquí, me contaron que en todos los años que la Madre Minka fue cliente de su librería, antes de que las cosas se pusieran difíciles para los libreros judíos, ni una sola vez criticó un solo libro.

La Madre Minka no ve mi sonrisa, está demasiado ocupada, mirando la mesa de San Kazimierz, por lo que vuelvo a sonreír agradecido, esta vez a la Hermana Elwira. Ella tampoco se da cuenta porque está muy ocupada sirviendo la cena a los pocos niños que faltan y se muestra muy compasiva con una niña que está llorando por la cantidad de escayola del techo que hay en su sopa.

Son muy amables estas monjas. Las voy a echar de menos cuando Mamá y Papá me lleven de vuelta a casa, deje de ser católico y vuelva a ser judío.

—¿No quieres más? —dice una voz pegada a mí.

Dodie mira fijamente mi plato. El suyo está vacío. Termina de sorber entre los agujeritos que separan sus dientes torcidos y me doy cuenta de que está deseando que no quiera más sopa.

Por encima de su hombro, Marek y Telek se burlan de él.

—Crece de una vez, Dodek —dice Marek, pero en sus ojos se ve un destello de esperanza. En el fondo él también desea poder comerse un poco de mi sopa.

Una parte de mí quiere dársela a Dodie porque su mamá y su papá murieron de una grave enfermedad cuando tenía tres años. Pero estos son tiempos muy duros y la comida escasea, y por eso, aunque tu barriga rebose de felicidad, tienes que tragar a la fuerza.

Yo lo hago.

Dodie sonríe. Sabía que sí que quería la sopa. La idea de que no la quisiese es tan absurda que nos provoca la risa floja.

Entonces paro. Me tengo que despedir rápidamente de todo el mundo. Eso me hace estar triste. Y cuando los otros niños vean que Mamá y Papá están vivos sabrán que no he sido sincero con ellos. Eso me hace sentirme todavía más triste.

Me digo a mí mismo que no debo ser tan tonto. Ellos no son mis amigos, no de los de verdad. No puedes tener amigos cuando tienes una vida secreta. Con tus amigos tienes que sentirte tan cómodo que, cuando se te escapa una de tus historias sin querer, saben que les has estado contando eso, una historia.

Pero siento que Dodie es mi amigo.

Mientras me termino la sopa trato de pensar en algo bueno que pueda hacer por él. Algo que le demuestre que estoy contento de haberle conocido. Algo que pueda mejorar su vida aquí dentro después de que me haya ido, una vez que ya esté en mi propia casa, con mis propios libros y con mi mamá y mi papá.

Ya sé exactamente qué es lo que puedo hacer por Dodie.

Ahora es el momento. Acaban de empezar los turnos para bañarse.

La Madre Minka está de pie en la puerta del baño, controlando de arriba abajo el grado de suciedad de Jozef, que está tiritando. Todos estamos tiritando. El baño está congelado y eso que estamos en verano. Quizá porque es muy grande y está debajo del nivel del suelo. Probablemente hace millones de años, cuando se construyó este convento, este baño se usaba para patinar sobre hielo.

La Madre Minka agarra el cordón que lleva atado a la cintura y con un gesto seco señala hacia el dormitorio. Jozef coge su ropa y se aleja rápidamente, aliviado.

—Cerdo con suerte —dice Dodie tiritando de frío.

Me salgo de la fila y me acerco a la Madre Minka.

—Disculpe, Madre —le digo.

No parece que se haya dado cuenta. Está echando un duro vistazo a Borys, que tiene la mitad del campo de deporte bajo las uñas de las manos y de los pies. Y bastante en los sobacos. Veo cómo la Madre Minka está a punto

Comentarios para Una vez

[ewyatt_16 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

"Once there was a boy who..." was left in a Polish orphanage by his parents and was protected by the sister who ran the place. Felix was completely clueless about the fate of his parents. When he discovers the Nazi's are burning Jewish books, he panics about his parents who own a bookstore. He leaves the shelter of the orphanage and sets off to his hometown to try to find and warn his parents. On his way he discovers a farm where the chickens and adults are all dead, and just an injured girl remains. The two head toward the city all the while figuring out what is really going on around them. Felix, a storyteller, has a complicated relationship with stories and the chapters in the book open as if fairy tales.

[nicola26 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This was a really sweet and innocent look at the plight of Jewish people during the Holocaust. It's an easy to read story with a very unique and distinct narrator. Felix is a very lovable character and I was drawn into his world from the very first page. His outlook on life is fascinating and the stories he makes up to explain what he doesn't understand are what makes this book really special. I liked how it ended but I would have liked even more to have found how what happened to Felix from then on.

[rata_4 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Felix, a Jewish boy in Poland in 1942, thinks he's in a Catholic orphanage while his parents are traveling. They are in fact been herded up and sentof to a concentration camp. However, when he finds out about the war, and that his parents may be in danger, Felix sets off to warn them--straight into the heart of Nazi-occupied Poland. The first book Once, followed by Then, Now and After.

[jiona_2 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

A story set during the second world war, the narrator being a young Jewish boy who runs away from an orphanage to find his parents.Told in the first person, Gleitzman captures the brutality, violence and tragedy through innocent eyes. In this way, the novel provides a nice counter-point to Boyne's 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', telling the story of this time from a mirror perspective.I thought the book was higly effective, dealing with incidents sensitively, without condescension but through an authentic narrative voice.Great story worth the read, and I look forward to reading the next in the trilogy.

[valfino_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Once, written byu Morris Glietzman is a tragic yet heartwarming story involving a Jewish boy named Felix. Being an orphaned boy during the period of the Holocaust isn't a happy time at the orphanage, yet Felix is known for his storytelling and cheering fellow peers during hard times such as this. After being given a carrot, being EXTREMLY rare at the orphanage, Felix, naive as he is, takes this as a sign of hope, indicating that his parents, Jewish booksellers, are alive and are trying to contact him so with that being, he sets across Germany to find them and himself, moraly.Along the journey, his naive and unmatured mind has led him to believe that ''these angry men, shouting'', Felix referrring them whom of which are known as Nazis have nothing to do with infiltrating the country until the end of the storyline.This book is targeted at ages 14+ as it is needed to be fully understood to get the storyline. It is a great read for everyone who loves books that are based on true events especially on war and I would rate this book a massive 5 stars as it was incredibly moving.

[renatak_79 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Felix is a young, Jewish boy living in Poland during the time of Nazi occupation in the 1940s. He is placed in an orphanage in 1939, and three years and eight months later he receives a whole carrot in his soup. He believes this is a sign from his parents, saying that they are finally coming back for him. This immediately inspires him to escape from the orphanage, and journey across Poland in the hope of finding his parents.Whilst he is on his crazy journey, he stumbles upon Nazis, an orphaned young girl, named Zelda, and a dentist who is hiding a group of Jewish children. The fact that Felix is so, unbelievably innocent and naive leads him to think of this horrific time, as simple mistakes or accidents. Experiencing WWII through the eyes of such a young child, allows the reader to see things in a different way. Even though the truth of WWII is not portrayed through the child's viewpoint, it still impacts the reader in an immensely harsh way.I recommend this book to anyone who likes war fiction, as I do. Gleitzman yet again succeeds in writing a fabulous story. He manages to turn WWII into a journey of a young, Jewish boy with his heart set on finding his family.

[carothelibrarian · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

PLUS - * A powerful, tragic holocaust story narrated by a Jewish Polish boy. * I loved the way in which the story is told - Felix has been protected much of what has been happening in Poland by his parent's who managed to put him in a Catholic orphanage. When he leaves to go in search of his parents a realisation of the horrors people have been through gradually dawns on him. This means that young readers work out the truth along with Felix. * There are lots of parts to make the reader smile - the friendship between Felix and Zelda, and the stories that Felix tells - so it's not a depressing story. It is very emotional though.MINUS - * Readers probably need to know a certain amount of information about the Holocaust to fully understand what is going on, but there are notes at the end of the book. OVERALL - * It's emotionally charged but so well written. As ever, Morris Gleitzman manages to deal with hard hitting subjects with humour and sensitivity.

[meggyweg · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

A beautiful and tragic Holocaust story, told through the innocent eyes of a nine-year-old boy. Sheltered in a Polish orphanage, posing as a Catholic, he has no idea what's going on around him until he runs away to find his parents. What he witnesses he at first does not understand, but the reader does and gradually Felix's naiteve is stripped away. If you like Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed, you'll love Once.

[lilibrarian · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Felix lives in a Catholic orphanage. He tells himself that his bookseller parents have gone off to find new books for their store. He makes up many stories to try to explain the madness around him. But after running away from the orphanage, he needs to face the truth of what is happening.

[rivetingreads · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The story of Felix a young Polish Jew who escapes from a Catholic orphanage where his parents had left him almost four years before in the hope that he would be safe from the Nazis. Felix sets out to find his parents and his journey is portrayed in both a humorous and desperately sad way as he comes to terms with exactly what the Nazi invasion and round up of the Jews means.

[mrssewell · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

The childhood innocence in this story reminded me of the award winning movie "Life is Beautiful". A book that can't be put down.

[jased_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

a touching holocaust story through the eyes of youth

[jubilant_joy · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I read this book to my fifth grade students when they are learning about the Holocaust. It is an amazing story of a young Polish boy named Felix who understands nothing about what is happening in his country. As the story unfolds, numerous incidents that he assumes are accidents or mistakes gradually help him understand Hitler and the Nazis for what they truly are. His innocence is heartbreaking and helps helps develop a deeper understanding of the Holocaust through a child's eyes. Although honest, Once is appropriate for older elementary students while still being engaging to adults. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[sullywriter_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Excellent Holocaust story.

[benuathanasia · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Wonderful. This book had great character building and a lovely buildup of understanding for the main character; he starts with a juvenile, sheltered understanding of the political strife of his country that blossoms slowly into realization. I intend to read the others eventually.

[smg6mschwab · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This story is a short one and quite an easy read but it is beautifly written and I loved it! It is amazing on the struggle Felix faced in Poland. I'd definitly reccommend this book a fantastic read. 5 Stars!

[cbl_tn · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Felix hasn't seen his parents in the three years since they left him at a Catholic orphanage in Poland, but he expects them any day. Meanwhile, he writes stories about them in the yellow notebook they gave him. Felix has a gift for storytelling. Gradually Felix learns about what the Nazis are doing to Jews in Poland, but in his innocence he often draws false conclusions. One day Felix slips away from the orphanage to search for his parents with no idea what dangers he will expose himself to in the process.The Holocaust is a bleak subject for children's literature. Gleitzman handles the topic with sensitivity. Felix's stories fortify the spirits of those around him, and they serve the same purpose for readers. There's always a ray of hope that Felix will survive his ordeal. I listened to the audio version narrated by the author. Sometimes authors aren't the best readers for their works, but Gleitzman is better than many professional readers I've heard. Felix's story is continued in several more books, and these are high on my wish list.

[breony-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Reminds me of the movie a beautiful life. I enjoy the way the Author writes as a child, his innocence always trying to find an explanation for the actions of the adults he witnesses.

[loftyislanders · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

This is a good book for teaching young teens about Nazi Germany and the Jewish Holocaust. It is told in first person by a young boy whose parent's were Jewish booksellers. They leave him in an orphanage and say they will come back for him. When they don't and the Nazi's come to the orphanage and burn all the books, he sets out to warn his parents of the bad men who hate Jewish books. He soon realizes it not the books they hate, but the people. He sees death and destruction along the way and at first uses his imagination to keep a positive outlook. But as things get tougher it is hard for to appreciate his imagination. Once he realizes he can help others and take thir minds off of thier pain he knows he has a purpose. This book was different than the books I usually read, but I have always found WWII interesting. I would recommend this book to a younger teen or someone with a lower reading level who might want to learn more about what life was like for the Jews during WWII.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I have read a number of YA books concerning the holocaust, but this is the first to make me laugh and cry simultaneously. Gleitzman really captured what a 10-year-old sheltered boy must have felt when first encountering Nazis and the horrors in Poland in 1942.

[norabelle414 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

- audiobook - A little Jewish boy named Felix lives in Poland at a Catholic orphanage, even though he knows for sure that his parents are still alive somewhere. He is waiting for them to come back and get him when he is forced into action by the arrival of strangers at the orphanage. The strangers are called "Nazis" and from what Felix can tell, they hate books and want to burn them. This is unfortunate for Felix, because his parents are booksellers. So he escapes from the orphanage to find his way back home and save his parents' books from being burned by Nazis.It feels wrong to say that my favorite thing about this story was how short it was, but there really is a certain integrity to the fact that it doesn't drag on and on. I found Felix's very strong obliviousness and denial annoying at first, but he eventually comes around. His journey is very difficult - not just the physical journey, but his emotional realization that he has been shielded from the evil of the world his whole life. When the book ends his physical tribulations have not begun to end, but at least he is fully aware of where he stands in the world. I also enjoyed that some of the events in the book are based on true stories. Highly recommended for a short and emotional read (or listen, as the author is an excellent narrator).

[shell70_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Oh my gosh! This story is so powerful. You will be so moved that you will forget that you are reading this horrifying story but living it! Felix and Zelda's journey will never leave you even after the last page has been read.

[mcgarry_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Yr 7 - Yr 8.World War 2Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad. Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house. Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh. My name is Felix. This is my story.

[janjan1_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

An excellent portrayal of the brutality of the Holocaust told through the innocent eyes of a 9 year old Polish boy who gradually understands the reality of the fate of his missing parents. Two more books will finish the series - Now and Then.

[cookiecat_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

YA book - simple but poignant.Not as good as Boy in the Striped Pyjamas but an interesting perspective.

[wickedwowestwood · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

This is a story about a Jewish boy during the terror of the Holocaust. The boy is not aware of the war because he has been living in an orphanage for the last three years. The author has the boy making up stories to explain the odd things he sees and it almost gives humor to a very sad situation. I found this strange.

[tlhelen · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I was recommended this book by many of my friends. I had to do a story about the 'past' for my English test but I did not much have much time to read a long and boring book. So when my friends told me to read this book, I was so happy. It isn't a long book and took me only around 1.5 hrs to finish. At the beginning, I thought it would be a boring and uninteresting book about some kid but I was definitely proved wrong. Once is a wonderful book possibly for people 7 years and up as it is a sad story about hardship and friendship. Once by Morris Gleitzman is a splendid book. Its about a Jewish boy named Felix who lived during the Holocaust. This is truly a sad story. Although it is a fictional story, it is based on true events. Morris Gleizman does an excellent job in portraying a 10 year old boy. He makes the reader truly believe and he shows all the emotion that the characters go through. It is a sad story, worth crying for.

[stba_2 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

The brutality and devastation of the Holocaust is shown through a Polish orphan named Felix and his experiences after he runs away from the orphanage where he lived for almost four years. Believing that his parents might still be alive, he tries to find them at their family-owned bookstore only to discover that his town no longer has any Jews still living in it and all the books in his family shop are gone. (Grades 7-10)

[skstiles612 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

As a teacher I am always trying to find wonderful books for my shelves. This is a whole series based around the Holocaust and its aftermath on people. I definitely recommended it to my students. Felix is a young Jewish boy living a hidden life in an orphanage. He believes his parents will be coming for him any day. He has been at the orphanage for three years. One day the Nazis’s visit the orphanage and find Jewish books which they take to the courtyard to burn. Felix is horrified that they would burn these books. His parents owned a book store. He decides he is going to have to find and save his parents and their books. He prays for help to God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Pope and Hitler. This gives us an indication that he has no idea what is going on in the world. Later he adds in the name of his favorite author and removes Hitler’s name. He gets himself and others out of trouble by telling stories. I think it was Felix’s love of books that helped me connect to him. He runs away from the orphanage and rescues a young girl whose parents are killed. It seems to be his mission to help others as he tries to find his parents. This is a wonderful book highly recommended. Be advised that the author does not water down what the Nazis were like or the atrocities they inflicted on others.

[eglinton_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

The Grausamkeiten of the Holocaust were so unspeakable that fiction would seem to have little to offer. But here Gleitzman uses the innocence of a child’s eye perspective to create a story that manages to be affirmative as well as sad. Felix, the narrating character, is a child with a fertile imagination and a good heart, and he gets things done. Thankfully for him, he’s unaware of the gruesome realities his story is part of. We are not spared yet somehow come away with an uplifting feel.