Paper kisses

by Reinhard Kaiser

"Rudolf Kaufmann, a young Jewish geologist, met Ingeborg Magnusson, a young Swedish woman gifted in languages, in Italy in 1935, and the two quickly fell in love. They spent just a few days together before they had to part. After that they had to make do with an exchange of letters, telling the story of a love that blossomed under the terrifying regime of Nazi Germany. Sixty years later, at a stamp auction, author Reinhard Kaiser bought a packet of envelopes that still held their original handwritten contents. The tale he discovered on the pages of Rudolf's letters to his beloved 'Ingelein' immediately captivated Kaiser. How did such precious personal correspondence end up on the auctioneer's table? What became of Ingeborg's letters to Rudolf? Did either of the star-crossed lovers survive the war? Kaiser tracked down photographs, documentary records, and finally living members of the couple's families to fill in the gaps of their story. In Paper Kisses, Kaiser allows the letters to spe