Quick 5: Diane Ackerman

While most of us are lucky if we have just one area of expertise, Diane Ackerman’s interests, talents and intelligence seem virtually limitless. Her poetry and books span topics as diverse as nature, love, sexuality, psychoanalysis, astronomy and the Holocaust. Earlier this year, Ackerman’s New York Times’ best-selling book “The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story” (W.W. Norton & Co.), which tells the true story of a couple who saved 300 Jews from extermination during World War II, was made into a film starring Jessica Chastain. Ackerman, 69, will be honored by the American Visionary Art Museum at its “2017 Celestial Gala” on Nov. 18.

1. How did you come to write ‘Zookeeper’s Wife’?

I heard there was a primeval forest in Poland with ancient horses running around in it and I wanted to see the horses! While trying to find out about them, I stumbled upon Antonina [Zabinski’s] diary, and when I read it and discovered that she and her husband [Jan Zabinski] were inspired rescuers, I knew I would have to write about her.

2. Does it relate to your naturalist writings in any way?

Antonina had an almost mystical relationship with animals and the natural world. She raised many orphan animals right inside her house, even during the war while she was hiding escaping Jews. Also, the Nazis weren’t just trying to breed a master race of people, their plans were much larger than that and included altering the DNA of all the plants and animals on the planet, too. It gives a special insight into the Nazi lunacy.

3. There are so many Holocaust stories. Why does this one stand out?

Because Antonina was a different kind of hero, one that often occurs on our perpetually war-torn planet but that we rarely hear about. Her heroism didn’t involve violence but radical acts of compassion. She tried to create a world inside the hideout that would allow the Jews there to survive as whole human beings. The Zabinskis were highly unusual and ingenious rescuers who used their zoo, their knowledge of animal behavior and their understanding of the Nazis’ obsession with rare animals to make sure everyone in their care survived.

4. What did you think about the movie adaptation?

I found the movie very stirring — visually beautiful, deeply moving and the actors’ performances [were] incredibly powerful. I thought they did a great job.

5. What are you working on now?

I’ve just begun writing my first novel! That’s a big change for me, with fresh challenges, and it’s fun.

Top photo: Diane Ackerman (Photo by Sue Michlovitz)

For information about AVAM’s Celestial Gala, visit avam.org.

Also see:

Jessica Chastain Plays Holocaust Heroine in ‘Zookeeper’s Wife’

Quick 5: Rebecca Hoffberger