The Magic Pencil

Mikel Carvin has employed his vast knowledge of art and design to create comforting and humane living spaces for generations of clients-from international celebrities like Louis Nizer, Henry Fonda, and Isaac Stern to artists, businesspeople, and professionals. He has a perfect sense of judgement about what will both please people and extend their lives. This book delves into the founding moments in Carvin's life that matured his formidable character and intuitive ability to relate to people of different backgrounds and to both children and adults of all ages. He survived the Holocaust, and saved his parents, by daring to outwit the Nazis who were all around him in Belgium, France, Austria, and Romania during the deadly years from 1938 to 1945. The compelling story-written with the help of poet and novelist Barry Sheinkopf-features original art of the period and a gallery of photographs, including a calling card for a Wehrmacht officer's club Carvin designed in Brussels and an Iron Cross he took from an SS officer whose life he spared while working with the underground in the Romanian countryside. You will not easily forget Mikel Carvin's extraordinary tale.