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Askevold memoir finally gets into print

Creston high school teacher Sigurd Askevold died without having achieving his dream of publishing his war-time memoir.
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L to R: Ingolf

Creston high school teacher Sigurd Askevold died without having achieving his dream of publishing his war-time memoir.

In Creston he was known as a peace activist, and he regularly broke away from the day’s curriculum to talk to students about his time as a Hitler Youth and member of the German Army. He wanted them to hear a firsthand account of the horrors of war, hoping they would never be sent to war, as he had.

Each of the Askevold children—Kirsten Walsh, Dee Keating and Ingolf Askevold, had copies of his manuscripts, painstakingly typed on onionskin paper with carbon paper used to make multiple copies.

Dee has memories of her dad sitting in a chair on the beach at Twin Bays in the 1960s, writing notes for what she believes would eventually become his manuscript, which he first wrote in German. But it was when they were cleaning out their parents house in preparation for their aging mother, Dr. Imme Askevold, to move to Swan Valley Lodge, that they came across more copies. The subject of what to do with the manuscript was unavoidable.

“I think there was no hesitation to try to publish,” Keating said last week. “We all knew that my dad had died rather disappointed that he had never been able to publish what he thought was an important story.  None of us felt able to take on the task of editing and trying to get that project completed.  My mother certainly did not have the time or talent, but remained interested and supportive if one of us wanted to take that on.

“When Ingolf said that he was keen to tackle it, I was happy that he was able to put some energy and funds into it.  He felt the most dedicated to honour his father in this way.”

Ingolf spoke with friends about the manuscript and one recommended he contact Luanne Armstrong.

“It’s the best thing that could have happened,” he said.

He did not know at the time that Sigurd asked Armstrong to edit his memoir in the early 1980s. She writes in the book’s forward that she did not feel capable at the time. Now, with a Master’s degree and national reputation as a writer and editor, she plies her art and craft while living on her farm on Kootenay Lake, near Boswell.

“I promised Sigurd a long time ago that I would get it published and I did,” she said.

The timing for Armstrong to become involved with the Askevold manuscript—which she had read, as a friend and former student, in its early form—was fortuitous. She was already working as an editor on another wartime memoir, this one by Marian Wiacek. His memories as a youngster in Poland when Germany invaded gave her new insight into life in the World War II era.

“The two processes were very different,” she said on Sunday. “In the case of Marian, we had a very rough manuscript that he had written plus a journal in Polish that he had been keeping since he was twelve. Marian and I met weekly for not quite a year -- I would interview him, ask him questions, make notes, go home, write a chapter and send it to him. He would add information, change things, and send it back. It would usually go back and forth at least three or four times. We did this with every chapter. Then we did it several times with the whole manuscript and after Warren (Clark, the book’s designer)  got involved and we added the photos and the map, three or four more time. I have to give huge kudos to Betsy Brierley and her proofreading skills. She is amazing. And she spell checked and time checked and otherwise checked every place name in the book. Marian and I worked very well together and became close friends. We would drink wine and argue about World War 2 history. His memory and his knowledge of history was amazing and I learned so much from him.

“In Sigurd's case, all I had was the manuscript which had been written in German and then translated by Sigurd directly into English. So it was this very awkward verbose German English. In Sigurd's case, what I had to do was chop out the verbosity and German-ness, and translate the book into English-sounding English, without changing any of the information in the book, since I had no one to check it with. So I actually peeled away at the language at least three times, each time cutting and refining it. When I was done, the book was about half its original length and read well and quickly. Again, we had to really check the place names. Oddly enough, for a teacher, Sigurd had misspelled a lot of the place names. Then we had to get the German accents and the French accents in the right place. This time the proofreaders were Christine Munkerud, Ingolf Askevold, and Kirsten (Askevold) Walsh. I was going to add some notes about the prison, the Citadel, but nowhere online could I find anywhere that they admitted that German prisoners had been kept there and starved to death.

“But I would certainly take Sigurd's word for it.”

Ingolf says that once Armstrong had taken on A Worm in the Apple he had a sense of relief.

“She gave me updates periodically,” he said. “Then, when she sent me a sample of the first five chapters I thought I had died and went to heaven. I was truly impressed.

With their mother, 96, in failing health, the Askevold children were anxious to have the book published as quickly as possible. That meant sending it to a printer and paying the cost—they didn’t want to risk what can be a years-long experience of finding a book publisher that would take on the project. Armstrong arranged to have the book printed.

“I am happy that this book has actually made it to press, and I think my dad would be very pleased with the result,” Dee said.”And I think honoured that Ingolf put such an effort in to it! Just as important is that my Mum has been able to see it.”

A Worm in the Apple is available in Creston at Black Bear Books and Kingfisher Used Books, and Capilia Hair Studio in Erickson. Creston Public Library also has copies. Out of town readers can contact Ingolf Askevold for purchase information by emailing iaskevold@gmail.com.

Update: Dr. Imme Askevold passed away in Creston on the morning of February 20. Marian Wiacek died four days earlier on Vancouver Island.