Radioactive: my great-grandad鈥檚 chemical confession
Joe Dunthorne only knew his Jewish great-grandfather to be an eccentric chemist. Hundreds of letters and a 2000-page memoir would reveal ties to Nazi-era chemical weapons.
Novelist Joe Dunthorne had always wanted to write about his great-grandfather, Siegfried Merzbacher: an eccentric scientist who made radioactive toothpaste in 1920s Germany 鈥� believing it to be a health product 鈥� and a Jewish refugee from the Nazis.聽聽聽聽聽
But Siegfried had already written a book of his life, a lengthy memoir that few in the family had finished. In its final pages Joe found a shocking confession that prompted a journey across Europe to trace his great-grandfather's wartime career. 聽
The investigation would take him across Germany and Turkey, through letters, archives, and even psychiatric records. Joe's book about his journey is called Children of Radium. He also tells his story in the 成人快手 Radio 4 podcast Half-Life.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producers: Harry Graham and Helen Fitzhenry
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Author Joe Dunthorne looks straight at the camera with a thoughtful stare. Credit: Tom Medwell)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Mon 5 May 2025 11:06GMT成人快手 World Service
- Mon 5 May 2025 17:06GMT成人快手 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Mon 5 May 2025 21:06GMT成人快手 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Tue 6 May 2025 02:06GMT成人快手 World Service
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected