Hanna Fischer is an aspiring physicist who has served as a secretary to numerous notable individuals, including Dr Albert Einstein, as well as operating as a spy in Germany during World War II.
She is the main protagonist of Mr Einstein's Secretary.
History[]
Early History[]
Born on New Year's Day of 1902 to Manfred and Sandra Fischer in Berlin, Germany, Hanna Fischer was their second-born child, being birthed soon after her identical twin, Norma.
As she started growing up in Berlin, Hanna came to nickname her twin "Ooma" due to initial difficulty pronouncing Norma, and came to know the family's friend and neighbour, the physicist Albert Einstein. Hanna proved to be quite clever for her age, and would eventually take an interest in physics like her mother and Einstein, coming to understand the subject.
Owing to being mentally and emotionally unstable, Ooma was hospitalised at a sanitarium, and Hanna, initially too young to understand the problems plaguing her sister, wasn't told the exact nature of the circumstances by their parents for some time.
One day, Hanna crafted home-made bracelets with her mother, gifting Sandra with a gaudy pink one which her mother nonetheless loved and wore. Soon after, however, Sandra was killed along with a few of her students by an anti-seminist.
Mr Einstein's Secretary[]
1910s[]
On her 10th birthday in 1912, Hanna received birthday gifts from both her father and Einstein, the latter granting Hanna a mobile of the solar system, which the young girl was enamored by. Hanna and her father conversed with Einstein about how women such as Marie Curie proved that women are just as smart as men, before Hanna inquired on the physicist's recent theory of relativity. Since Hanna's understanding and questioning of the complex theory proves her to be quite intelligent, Einstein suggested that her father enroll her in a science Gymnasium as soon as possible.
By November of 1919, Hanna - now 17 - had begun attending the Gymnasium and began courting with Lukas Hofstedter, whom to her delight eventually asked for her hand to attend the winter ball. During this period, Hanna was peripherally aware of the toll the recent loss in the War had take on Germany. When Einstein's theory of relativity was proven by a solar eclipse, making him recognised as the greatest physicist in the world, Hanna noticed how flustered her neighbour was and helped him escape from the throng of reporters by sneaking him over to her room. As they conversed, the physicist encouraged Hanna's quest for knowledge while also imploring that she maintain her joy.
A few days later, Hanna discovered Ooma - having been returned to the family's care for the last year - reading her diary. Ignoring Hanna's protest that it was private, Ooma sneered at Hanna's happiness and interest in Lukas before their father interrupted and ordered Ooma to her room. The next day, Hanna and Manfred found Ooma after she had cut her wrist in a sudden fit of depression, resulting in Hanna's sister being institutionalised once more.
The following evening, Hanna reluctantly accompanied her father to visit her distasteful Aunt Olga and her family, being forced to listen to the ignorant ramblings of Olga and her cousin Gretel as they blamed Germany's recent troubles on both the Jews and Manfred for being involved in penning the armistice. While returning home, Hanna questioned why the Jewish people were being blamed, with Manfred explaining the misconceptions for which the Jews were persecuted, and his reasons to avoid an invasion of Germany. Wanting to see Lukas, Hanna took a detour to buy some groceries from his family's store. This action ended up saving Hanna's life, for when she turned onto her street, she was horrified to see her apartment building burning and her father dead, hung by a furious crowd.
Einstein brought Hanna into his home and revealed that Manfred had confided that he had been receiving death threats, and in preparation had made arrangements to ensure Hanna's safety by having Einstein send Hanna to her maternal aunt in New York. The distraught Hanna was quickly escorted by Einstein to Hamburg in order to board a ship heading to America, numbly acknowledging the physicist's advice to continue her studies, and idly wondered about what Lukas would make of her sudden departure.
Upon her arrival in New York] a few weeks later, Hanna made her way to visit her Aunt Penny Carlson in Brooklyn, informing her of the situation. Her uncle was uninterested in supporting Hanna, however, and convinced Penny to to send her to the Graham-Coulson Secretarial School for Ladies so that she could begin learning secretarial work for future employment. Complying with Michael's idea, Hanna accompanied him to the School to apply and take out a loan for enrollment. Once there, she quickly befriended her roommate, Fanny O'Toole, and begins learning the etiquette and secretarial skills.
1920s[]
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1930s[]
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1940s[]
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Personality[]
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Skills[]
- Bilingualism: Having been born to a German father and American mother, Hanna grew up learning both German and English. Raised in Germany, she primarily read and spoke using the former during her youth until emigrating to the United States. Upon arriving in New York, Hanna spoke English with a heavy German accent, which gradually receded over time.
- Genius-Level Intellect: Even when she was a child, Hanna has displayed a remarkable intellect. Einstein himself recognised her intellect and suggested that Manfred enroll her in a science Gymnasium. As she grew into adulthood, however, Hanna's circumstances kept her from earning a high-school level diploma for several years, and denied her the chance to subsequently further study physics and earn a doctorate until her late 40s.
- Expert Physicist: At 10 years old, Hanna enjoyed learning about physics, which few children her age would even enjoy learning. She understood the basic principles of Einstein's theory of relativity, and was able to question the effect of acceleration on it, impressing Einstein himself. Hanna continued to increase her knowledge of physics over the years by reading scientific papers, and through informal studies instead of a proper education. Once her time as a spy was over and she had started a new life under a new identity, Hanna took up a position under Einstein at the physics department of at Princeton University.
- Expert Spy: Hanna spent several years serving as an undercover operative for the United States within Nazi Germany, playing the role of Albert Speer's secretary - a high-ranking Nazi architect with close connections to Adolf Hitler - for almost 12 years. From this position, she was able to attend several important meetings and visit several strategic sites such as weapons factories and prisons, which allowed Hanna to gather intel to pass on to Kessler, who in turn passed it on to the U.S. government. Aside from one instance of suspicion of being a spy - which was for an entirely unrelated matter, and for which she was quickly exonerated when the real culprit confessed - she was able to go undetected until the end of the War.
Equipment[]
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Relationships[]
Lukas Hofstedter[]
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Dan Kessler[]
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Trivia[]
- Hanna is the fifth main female protagonist to be featured in Reilly's novels.