Visionaries: Varian Fry
Varian Fry (1907–1967):
Varian Fry was an American journalist, classicist, and magazine editor who became one of the most consequential rescuers of the twentieth century. In August 1940, he arrived in Vichy France to do what his own government refused to do. Over thirteen months in Marseille, Fry forged documents, ran a safe house out of a crumbling villa, and built a footpath over the Pyrenees that would carry thousands of creators and thinkers out of occupied Europe alive, among them Hannah Arendt, Marc Chagall, and Max Ernst. He was expelled from France in 1941, and released by his organization. His unofficial and un-sanctioned work was not recognized or rewarded during his lifetime by the American government. He worked as a freelance writer and high school teacher before dying of a heart attack at fifty-nine. His country didn't honor him until twenty-four years after his death.
For More:
- Surrender on Demand — Varian Fry
- Villa Air-Bel: World War II, Escape, and a House in Marseille — Rosemary Sullivan
• Transatlantic — Netflix limited series (dramatized)
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