(Zoltán Hirsch) “Zoli.” Kis Ember Nagy Elete - Önéletrajz) [“The Great Life of a Small Man - An Autobiography.”]

A touching autobiography of a Hungarian-Jewish circus clown, acrobat and comedian. Zoltán Hirsch (1885-1944), popularly known as “Zoli” issued this book (and personally sold copies of it in the streets of Budapest) after he was expelled from the Fényes (formerly Beketow) Circus due to the anti-Jewish decrees imposed in Hungary that strictly limited the number of Jews permitted in the workforce. As expected, these blatant anti-Semitic rules affected numerous doctors, lawyers, engineers, journalists - but in this case, it affected Zoli, a circus performer, born a dwarf, who become tremendously popular throughout Hungary. Zoli was arrested for illegal book-peddling and for wearing a yellow star that did not comply with Nazi requirements on the grounds of being too small. His witty defense that the badge was proportionate to his size was rejected by the authorities. Zoli was imprisoned, and eventually deported together with the majority of the Hungary’s Jewish population to perish in Auschwitz. <<Accompanied by:>> Roli Zoli. Mechanical toy representing a tin clown on a red motorcycle. Along with original box. (Hungary, 1970’s). See Anna Kérchy, From Showbiz To The Concentration Camp: The Fabulous, Freakish Life Of Hungarian Jewish Dwarf Performers, Zoli Hirsch And The Ovitz Family, in: Exploring the Cultural History of Continental European Freak Shows and Enfreakment (Cambridge 2012) p. 211-32.