Eberhard Wolfgang Möller (6 January 1906 – 1 January 1972) was a German dramatist and poet.

Biography

Möller was born on 6 January 1906 in Berlin. His first two published works appeared in 1929, the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

drama ''Douaumont'', and ''Kalifornische Tragödie''. In 1930, he published ''Panamaskandal'', which called for national renewal, denouncing the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...

. In 1931, he became a member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

, thus beginning his career as a

National Socialist Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

author and cultural official. In 1934, he was employed as a theatre critic in the Theatre Division of the

Reich Propaganda Ministry The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (; RMVP), also known simply as the Ministry of Propaganda (), controlled the content of the press, literature, visual arts, film, theater, music and radio in Nazi Germany. The ministry ...

. ''Rothschild siegt bei Waterloo'', Möller's most successful stage production, was written in 1934. It was an antisemitic comedy set in the Napoleonic era. During the war, he was involved in writing the screenplay for the antisemitic film '' Jud Süss'' (1940). The film had initially been suggested by scriptwriter Ludwig Metzger, but Möller was brought in to help in 1939. Although he had no experience in screenwriting, he was considered ideologically reliable. Another work was ''

Frankenburger Würfelspiel The ''Frankenburger Würfelspiel'' ( Frankenburg Dice Game) is a Thingspiel (a Nazi-era multi-disciplinary open-air drama) by Eberhard Wolfgang Möller based on the historical event of the same name in Frankenburg am Hausruck, Upper Austria. I ...

'' (Frankenburg Dice Game), a '' Thingspiel'' (multi-disciplinary open-air drama), set in the seventeenth century, which had its première at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

Themes

Möller's works were diverse in terms of historical setting, extending from the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

(''Der Untergang Karthagos'', 1938) to the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(''Douaumont'', 1929). However, they all shared the theme of heroism, as well as reflecting his hatred of Jews, capitalism and modernity.Baird, 'Hitler's muse', p. 270.

References

Bibliography

*Baird, Jay W., 'Hitler's muse: The political aesthetics of the poet and playwright Eberhard Wolfgang Möller", ''German Studies Review'', 17 (1994) *Cadigan, Rufus J., "Eberhard Wolfgang Möller: Politically correct playwright of the Third Reich", in Glen W. Gadberry (ed.), ''Theatre in the Third Reich, the Pre-War Years: Essays on Theatre in Nazi Germany'' 1906 births 1972 deaths Writers from Berlin Nazi Party members Waffen-SS personnel 20th-century German novelists 20th-century German dramatists and playwrights German male novelists German male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century German male writers {{germany-playwright-stub