Neil Sogge's translation of Ole Juul's book captures the romanticism that shone like the last lights of civilization in the Dark Age of Hitler's regime that reigned in a pall over Europe. The story is based on Danish freedom fighter prisoner, Michael Lans, who has memories of his love interest, Ruth, his sabotage operation, his wounding, and his capture. Befriended by a guard named Steinz, Michael still faces torture from a bellicose Nazi interrogator, though he remains recalcitrant to the end. The Red Meadows shows how Europe, through the metaphor of the story's character, deserved life and liberty in the end. After the war, this unconquerable spirit was the only thing left that was strong enough to serve Europe on its hard road to recovery.
Neil Sogge was born and raised in western South Dakota. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 1985, and on graduate school level received a Masters of Library Science in 1990 from University of California, Los Angeles and an English Masters at Western Washington University in 1995. Later he enrolled in Long Ridge Writer's Group on a correspondence basis and completed the coursework in 2008. Scandinavian languages and their translation is a passion. He lives in Bellingham.