Erich Kästner (World War I Veteran)
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Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and
satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Early satirical authors *Aes ...
, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including ''
Emil and the Detectives ''Emil and the Detectives'' () is a 1929 novel set mainly in Berlin, by the German writer Erich Kästner and illustrated by Walter Trier. It was Kästner's first major success and the only one of his pre-1945 works to escape Nazi censorship. The ...
'' and ''
Lisa and Lottie ''Lisa and Lottie'', published in the United Kingdom and Australia as ''The Parent Trap'', (original German language, German title: ''Das doppelte Lottchen'', "The Double Lottie") is a 1949 Germany, German children's novel by Erich Kästner. The ...
''. He received the international
Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
in 1960 for his autobiography '. He was nominated for the
Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...
in six separate years.


Biography


Dresden (1899–1919)

Kästner was born in
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
,
Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
, and grew up on Königsbrücker Straße in Dresden's
Äußere Neustadt Äußere Neustadt (, ), also known as ''Antonstadt'' after Anthony (German: ''Anton''), King of Saxony, is a neighborhood in Dresden, Germany. The Äußere Neustadt contains the part of the Neustadt that is located outside of where the old city ...
. Close by, the Erich Kästner Museum was subsequently opened in the Villa Augustin that had belonged to Kästner's uncle Franz Augustin. Kästner's father, Emil Richard Kästner, was a
master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...
saddle A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not know ...
maker. His mother, Ida Amalia (née Augustin), had been a maidservant, but in her thirties she trained as a hairstylist in order to supplement her husband's income. Kästner had a particularly close relationship with his mother. When he was living in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, he wrote her fairly intimate letters and postcards almost every day, and overbearing mothers made regular appearances in his writings. It has been rumored that Erich Kästner's natural father was the family's
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
doctor, Emil Zimmermann (1864–1953), but these rumors have never been substantiated. Kästner wrote about his childhood in his autobiography ' (1957, translated as ''When I Was a Little Boy''). According to Kästner, he did not suffer from being an
only child An only child is a person with no siblings, by birth or adoption. Overview Throughout history, only-children were relatively uncommon. From around the middle of the 20th century, birth rates and average family sizes fell sharply for a number of ...
, had many friends, and was not lonely or overindulged. In 1913, Kästner entered a teacher training school in Dresden. However, he dropped out in 1916 shortly before completing the exams that would have qualified him to teach in state schools. He was drafted into the
Royal Saxon Army The Royal Saxon Army () was the military force of the Electorate (1682–1807) and later the Kingdom of Saxony (1807–1918). A regular Saxon army was first established in 1682 and it continued to exist until the abolition of the German monarchies ...
in 1917 and was trained at a heavy artillery unit in Dresden. Kästner was not sent to the front, but the brutality of the military training he underwent and the death of contemporaries he experienced strongly influenced his later
antimilitarism Antimilitarism (also spelt anti-militarism) is a doctrine that opposes war, relying heavily on a critical theory of imperialism and was an explicit goal of the First and Second International. Whereas pacifism is the doctrine that disputes (especi ...
. The merciless drilling he was subjected to by his drill sergeant also caused a lifelong heart condition. Kästner portrays this in his poem ''Sergeant Waurich''. After the end of the war, Kästner went back to school and passed the
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
exam with distinction, earning a scholarship from the city of Dresden.


Leipzig (1919–1927)

In the autumn of 1919, Kästner enrolled at the
University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...
to study history, philosophy, German studies, and theater. His studies took him to
Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
and Berlin, and in 1925 he received a doctorate for a thesis on
Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...
and German literature. He paid for his studies by working as a journalist and critic for a newspaper, the ''Neue Leipziger Zeitung''. However, his increasingly critical reviews, and the "frivolous" publication of his erotic poem "Abendlied des Kammervirtuosen" (Evening Song of the Chamber Virtuoso) with illustrations by Erich Ohser, led to his dismissal in 1927. That same year, he moved to Berlin, although he continued to write for the ''Neue Leipziger Zeitung'' under the pseudonym "Berthold Bürger" ("Bert Citizen") as a freelance correspondent. Kästner later used several other pseudonyms, including "Melchior Kurtz", "Peter Flint", and "Robert Neuner".


Berlin (1927–1933)

Kästner's years in Berlin, from 1927 until the end of the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
in 1933, were his most productive. He published poems, newspaper columns, articles, and reviews in many of Berlin's important periodicals. He was a regular contributor to dailies such as the ''
Berliner Tageblatt The ''Berliner Tageblatt'' or ''BT'' was a German language newspaper published in Berlin from 1872 to 1939. Along with the '' Frankfurter Zeitung'', it became one of the most important liberal German newspapers of its time. History The ''Berli ...
'' and the ''
Vossische Zeitung The (''Voss's Newspaper'') was a nationally known Berlin newspaper that represented the interests of the liberal middle class. It was also generally regarded as Germany's national newspaper of record. In the Berlin press it held a special role d ...
'', as well as to ''
Die Weltbühne ''Die Weltbühne'' (, ‘The World Stage’) was a German weekly magazine for politics, art and the economy. It was founded in Berlin in 1905 as (‘The Theater’) by Siegfried Jacobsohn and was originally a theater magazine only. In 1913 it ...
''. Hans Sarkowicz and Franz Josef Görtz, the editors of his complete works (1998), list over 350 articles written between 1923 and 1933, but he must have written even more, since many texts are known to have been lost when Kästner's flat burned down during a bombing raid in February 1944. Kästner published his first book of poems, ''Herz auf Taille'', in 1928, and by 1933 he had published three more collections. His ''Gebrauchslyrik'' (''Lyrics for Everyday Use'') made him one of the leading figure of the
Neue Sachlichkeit The New Objectivity (in ) was a movement in German art that arose during the 1920s as a reaction against expressionism. The term was coined by Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, the director of the ''Kunsthalle'' in Mannheim, who used it as the title of ...
movement, which focused on using a sobering, distant and objective style to satirise contemporary society. In the autumn of 1928, he published his best-known children's book, '' Emil und die Detektive'', illustrated by
Walter Trier Walter Trier (25 June 1890 in Prague – 8 July 1951 in Craigleith, near Collingwood) was an illustrator, best known for his work for the children's books of Erich Kästner and the covers of the magazine '' Lilliput''. He was born in Bohem ...
. The owner of the Weltbühne publishing house, Edith Jacobsen, had suggested the idea of writing a detective story to Kästner. The book sold two million copies in Germany alone and has since been translated into 59 languages. The novel was unusual in that, in contrast to most children's literature of the period, it is set in contemporary Berlin and not in a fairy-tale world. Kästner also refrained from overt moralising, letting the characters' actions speak for themselves. Its sequel, ''Emil und die Drei Zwillinge'' (1933; ''Emil and the Three Twins'') takes place on the shores of the
Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...
. The Emil books may have influenced the creation of other books in the subgenre of literature about child detectives. ''Emil und die Detektive'' has been adapted for the cinema five times, three of them in Germany: in 1931, 1935 (UK), 1954, 1964 (USA) and 2001. Kästner followed this success with ''Pünktchen und Anton'' (1931) and '' Das fliegende Klassenzimmer'' (1933).
Walter Trier Walter Trier (25 June 1890 in Prague – 8 July 1951 in Craigleith, near Collingwood) was an illustrator, best known for his work for the children's books of Erich Kästner and the covers of the magazine '' Lilliput''. He was born in Bohem ...
's illustration significantly contributed to the books' overwhelming popularity. ''Das fliegende Klassenzimmer'' has been adapted for the cinema several times: in 1954 by
Kurt Hoffmann Kurt Hoffmann (12 November 1910 – 25 June 2001) was a German film director, the son of Carl Hoffmann. He directed 48 films between 1938 and 1971. He ran a production company Independent Film along with Heinz Angermeyer. His 1958 film ''W ...
, in 1973 by
Werner Jacobs Werner Jacobs (1909–1999) was a German film director and film editor, editor. He was born in Berlin on the 24 April 1909. He is best known for his contributions to Modebummel (1951), Der Stern von Santa Clara (1958) and André und Ursula (1955). ...
and in by . In 1932 Kästner wrote '' Der 35. Mai (The 35th of May)'', which is set in a fantasy land entered via a wardrobe and includes futuristic features such as mobile phones.
Gerhard Lamprecht Gerhard Lamprecht (6 October 1897 – 4 May 1974) was a German film director, screenwriter and film historian. He directed 63 films between 1920 and 1958. He also wrote for 26 films between 1918 and 1958. Life and career Lamprecht was fasci ...
's film version of '' Emil und die Detektive'' (1931) was a great success. Kästner, however, was dissatisfied with the screenplay, and that led him to become a screenwriter for the
Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palaces and Park ...
film studios. Kästner's only major adult novel, '' Fabian: The Story of a Moralist'', was published in 1931. Kästner included rapid cuts and montages in it, in an attempt to mimic cinematic style. Fabian, an unemployed literary expert, experiences the uproariously fast pace of the times as well as the downfall of the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
. From 1927 until 1931, Kästner lived at Prager Straße 17 (today near no. 12) in Berlin–
Wilmersdorf Wilmersdorf () is an inner-city locality of Berlin which lies south-west of the central city. Formerly a borough by itself, Wilmersdorf became part of the new Boroughs of Berlin, borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf following Berlin's 2001 admin ...
and after that, until February 1945, at Roscherstraße 16 in Berlin-
Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...
.


Berlin (1933–1945)

Kästner was a
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...
and wrote for children because of his belief in the regenerative powers of youth. He resisted the
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
regime and was one of the signatories to the
Urgent Call for Unity The "Urgent Call for Unity" () was an appeal by the Internationaler Sozialistischer Kampfbund (ISK) to defeat the National Socialist German Workers Party. It was signed by nearly three dozen well-known German scientists, authors and artists in adv ...
. However, unlike many other authors critical of the dictatorship, Kästner did not go into exile. After the Nazis' rise to power, he visited
Merano Merano (, ; ) or Meran () is a (municipality) in South Tyrol, Northern Italy. Generally best known for its Spa town, spa resorts, it is located within a Depression (geology), basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to Height above mean sea ...
and Switzerland and met with exiled writers, yet he returned to Berlin, arguing that there he would be better able to chronicle events. It is probable that he also wanted to avoid abandoning his mother. His ''Necessary Answer to Superfluous Questions'' (''Notwendige Antwort auf überflüssige Fragen'') in ''Kurz und Bündig'' explains Kästner's position: I'm a German from Dresden in Saxony My homeland won't let me go I'm like a tree that, grown in Germany, Will likely wither there also. The
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
interrogated Kästner several times, the national writers' guild expelled him, and the Nazis burned his books as "contrary to the German spirit" during the
book burnings Book burning is the deliberate destruction by fire of books or other written materials, usually carried out in a public context. The burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or politic ...
of 10 May 1933, instigated by
Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 â€“ 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...
. Kästner witnessed the event in person and later wrote about it. He was denied membership of the new Nazi-controlled national writers' guild, Reichsverband deutscher Schriftsteller (RDS), because of what its officials called the "culturally
Bolshevist The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the Second Party Congress in 1903. The Bolshevik party, formally established in 19 ...
attitude in his writings prior to 1933." During the
Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
, Kästner published apolitical novels such as '' Drei Männer im Schnee'' (''Three Men in the Snow'') (1934) in Switzerland. In 1942, he received a special exemption to write the screenplay for '' Münchhausen'', using the pseudonym Berthold Bürger. The film was a prestige project by Ufa Studios to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of its establishment, an enterprise backed by Goebbels. In 1944, Kästner's home in Berlin was destroyed during a bombing raid. In early 1945, he and others pretended that they had to travel to the rural community of
Mayrhofen Mayrhofen is a town in the Zillertal (Ziller river valley) in the Austrian state of Tirol, Austria, Tyrol. It is located approximately an hour from the Tyrolean capital city of Innsbruck. Population Tourism The town offers a variety of summer an ...
in
Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
for location shooting for a (non-existent) film, ''Das falsche Gesicht'' (The Wrong Face). The actual purpose of the journey was to avoid the final Soviet assault on Berlin. Kästner had also received a warning that the SS planned to kill him and other Nazi opponents before arrival of the Soviets. He was in Mayrhofen when the war ended. He wrote about this period in a diary published in 1961 under the title ''Notabene 45''. Another edition, closer to Kästner's original notes, was published in 2006 under the title ''Das Blaue Buch'' (The Blue Book).


Kästner and the bombing of Dresden

In his diary for 1945, published many years later, Kästner describes his shock at arriving in Dresden shortly after the bombing of the city in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
(February 1945) and finding it a pile of ruins in which he could recognize none of the streets or landmarks among which he had spent his childhood. His autobiography ''Als ich ein kleiner Junge war'' includes a lament for Dresden (quoted from the English translation, ''When I Was a Little Boy''): "I was born in the most beautiful city in the world. Even if your father, child, was the richest man in the world, he could not take you to see it, because it does not exist any more. ... In a thousand years was her beauty built, in one night was it utterly destroyed."


Munich (1945–1974)

After the end of the war, Kästner moved to
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, where he became culture editor for the '' Neue Zeitung'' and publisher of ', a magazine for children and young people. He was also active in literary
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
, in productions at the Schaubude (1945–1948) and Die kleine Freiheit (after 1951), and in radio. During this time, he wrote a number of
skits Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
, songs, audio plays,
speeches This list of speeches includes those that have gained notability in English or in English translation. The earliest listings may be approximate dates. Before the 1st century *c.570 BC : The Buddha gives his first sermon, '' Dhammacakkappava ...
, and essays about
National Socialism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequ ...
, the war years, and the stark realities of life in post-war Germany. Most notable among these works are ''Marschlied 1945'' and ''Deutsches Ringelspiel''. He also continued to write children's books, including ' (''The Animals' Conference''), a pacifist satire in which the world's animals unite to successfully force humans to disarm and make peace. This picture book was made into by Curt Linda. Kästner also renewed his collaboration with Edmund Nick, whom he had met in Leipzig in 1929, when Nick, then Head of the Music Department at Radio Silesia, wrote the music for Kästner's radio play ''Leben in dieser Zeit''. Nick, now the Musical Director at the Schaubude, set more than 60 of Kästner's songs to music. Kästner's optimism in the immediate post-war era gave way to resignation as Germans in the West attempted to normalize their lives following the economic reforms of the early 1950s and the ensuing "economic miracle" ("
Wirtschaftswunder The ''Wirtschaftswunder'' (, "economic miracle"), also known as the Miracle on the Rhine, was the rapid reconstruction and development of the Economy, economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II. The expression was first used to re ...
"). He became further disillusioned as Chancellor
Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...
remilitarized West Germany, made it a member of
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
, and rearmed it for possible military conflict with the
Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
. Kästner remained a pacifist and spoke out at anti-militarist demonstrations against the
nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission, fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion, fusion reactions (thermonuclear weap ...
in West Germany. Later, he also took firm stand against the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Kästner began to publish less and less, partly because of his increasing alcoholism. He did not join any of the post-war literary movements in West Germany, and in the 1950s and 1960s he came to be perceived mainly as an author of children's books. His novel ''Fabian'' was made into a movie in 1980, as were several of his children's books. The most popular of these adaptations are
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
's 1961 American film '' The Parent Trap'' starring
Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promisi ...
and its 1998 remake starring
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...
, both based on his novel ''Das doppelte Lottchen'' (''
Lisa and Lottie ''Lisa and Lottie'', published in the United Kingdom and Australia as ''The Parent Trap'', (original German language, German title: ''Das doppelte Lottchen'', "The Double Lottie") is a 1949 Germany, German children's novel by Erich Kästner. The ...
''). In 1960, Kästner received the
Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
for ''Als ich ein kleiner Junge war'', his autobiography. The English translation by Florence and Isabel McHugh, published as ''When I Was a Little Boy'' in 1959, won the
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" as ''Al ...
in 1961. Kästner received several other awards, including the Filmband in Gold for best screenplay for the German film version of ''Das doppelte Lottchen'' (1950), the literary prize of the city of Munich in 1956, and the
Georg Büchner Prize The Georg Büchner Prize () is the most important literary prize for German language literature. The award is named after dramatist and writer Georg Büchner, author of '' Woyzeck'' and '' Leonce and Lena''. The Georg Büchner Prize is awarded an ...
in 1957. The government of West Germany honored Kästner with its order of merit, the Bundesverdienstkreuz (
Federal Cross of Merit The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...
), in 1959. In 1968 he received the together with the literary prize of the German
Masonic Order Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
. In 1951, Kästner was elected President of the
PEN PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...
Center of West Germany, and he remained in office until 1961. In 1965 he became President Emeritus. He was also instrumental in the founding of the Internationale Jugendbibliothek, a library in Munich that collects and preserves children's and youth books from all over the world. In 1953 he was founding member of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). Kästner never married. He wrote his last two children's books, ''Der kleine Mann'' and ''Der kleine Mann und die kleine Miss'', for his son Thomas Kästner, who was born in 1957. Kästner frequently read from his works. In the 1920s, he recorded some of his poems of social criticism and in some of the films based on his books he performed as the narrator, as he did for the first audio production of ''Pünktchen und Anton''. Other recordings for
Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
include poems, epigrams, and his version of the folk tale ''
Till Eulenspiegel Till Eulenspiegel (; ) is the protagonist of a European narrative tradition. A German chapbook published around 1510 is the oldest known extant publication about the folk hero (a first edition of is preserved fragmentarily), but a background i ...
''. He also read in theaters, such as the
Cuvilliés Theatre The Cuvilliés Theatre () or Old Residence Theatre (''Altes Residenztheater'') is the former court theatre of the Residenz in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. History Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph (reg. 1745–1777) commissioned the co ...
in Munich, and for the radio, for which he read ''Als ich ein kleiner Junge war'' and other works. Kästner died of esophageal cancer on 29 July 1974 in the Neuperlach Hospital in Munich. He was buried in the St. George cemetery in the
Bogenhausen Bogenhausen (Central Bavarian: ''Bognhausn'') is the 13th borough of Munich, Germany. It is the geographically largest borough of Munich and comprises the city's north-eastern quarter, reaching from the Isar on the eastern side of the Englischer ...
district of Munich. Shortly after his death, the Bavarian Academy of Arts established a literary prize in his name. Many streets in Germany and the asteroid 12318 Kästner are named after him."(12318) Kästner = 1992 HD7"
Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Funct ...


Works

A list of his works under their German titles, arranged by their German publication dates: * '' Weihnachtslied, chemisch gereinigt'', 1927 * ''Herz auf Taille'', 1928 *'' Emil und die Detektive'', 1929 (''Emil and the Detectives'') * ' 1929 * ''Ein Mann gibt Auskunft'', 1930 * '' Pünktchen und Anton'', 1931 (''Dot and Anton'') * '' Fabian. Die Geschichte eines Moralisten'', 1931 * ''Gesang zwischen den Stühlen'', 1932 * '' Der 35. Mai,'' 1932 (''The 35th of May, or Conrad's Ride to the South Seas'') * ' 1935 (''Emil and the Three Twins'') * '' Das fliegende Klassenzimmer'', 1933 (''The Flying Classroom'') * '' Drei Männer im Schnee'', 1934 (''Three Men in the Snow'') * ', 1935 (''The Missing Miniature'') * ', 1936 (''Doctor Erich Kästner's Lyrical Medicine Chest'') * ''Georg und die Zwischenfälle'', (aka ''Der kleine Grenzverkehr'') 1938 (''A Salzburg Comedy'') * '' Das doppelte Lottchen'', 1949 (''Lisa and Lottie''; republished as ''The Parent Trap'' in the United Kingdom and Australia) * ', 1949 (''The Animals' Conference'') * ', 1955 * ' 1957 (''When I Was a Little Boy'') * ''Das Schwein beim Friseur'' 1963 * ' 1963 (''The Little Man'') * ' 1967 (''The Little Man and the Little Miss'') * ''Mein Onkel Franz'' 1969 * Sylvia List (Editor): ''Das große Erich Kästner Buch'', with an introduction by
Hermann Kesten Hermann Kesten (28 January 1900 – 3 May 1996) was a German novelist and dramatist. He was one of the principal literary figures of the New Objectivity movement in 1920s Germany. The literary prize Hermann Kesten Medal has been given in his ho ...
, Atrium Verlag, Zürich 2002, .


See also

*
List of Germans who resisted Nazism This list contains the names of individuals involved in the German resistance to Nazism, but is not a complete list. Names are periodically added, but not all names are known. There are both men and women on this list of ("Resistance fighte ...


References


Further reading

* , "Erich Kästner, the Innovator: Modern Books for Modern Kids", Volker Ladenthin and Susanne Hucklenbroich-Ley, ed., ''Erich Kästner Jahrbuch'' vol. 3, Würzburg 2004, pp. 19–26


External links

* * *
Erich Kästner's poems in Hebrew
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kastner, Erich 1899 births 1974 deaths 20th-century German diarists 20th-century German novelists 20th-century German screenwriters Writers from Dresden Writers from the Kingdom of Saxony German children's writers German satirists German satirical novelists 20th-century German poets German humorous poets German satirical poets German pacifists German Army personnel of World War I Leipzig University alumni Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Trümmerliteratur Georg Büchner Prize winners Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing winners German male poets German male novelists German-language poets Vossische Zeitung people Deaths from esophageal cancer in Germany