12 Genesis and Catastrophe

Dahl first published in Playboy magazine and included in his 1962 book Kiss Kiss. It is a fictionalized account based upon a true historical incident. It is also known as A Fine Son. The story begins with Klara, an Austrian German woman, who has just given birth to a son. She is fearful that this child will die, as she has had three children, named Otto, Gustav and Ida, previously and all of them have died. Her husband, Alois, remembers how small and frail the new baby is, even compared to the others. Th