Else Ury Else Ury (1 November 1877 – 13 January 1943) was a German-Jewish novelist and children's book author. Her best-known character is the blonde doctor's daughter Annemarie Braun, whose life from childhood to old age is told in the ten volumes of t ...

's Nesthäkchen is a Berlin doctor's daughter, Anne Marie Braun, a slim, golden blond, quintessential German girl. The ten-book

Nesthäkchen series Else Ury (1 November 1877 – 13 January 1943) was a German-Jewish novelist and children's book author. Her best-known character is the blonde doctor's daughter Annemarie Braun, whose life from childhood to old age is told in the ten volumes of t ...

follows Annemarie from infancy (''Nesthäkchen and Her Dolls'') to old age and grandchildren (''Nesthäkchen with White Hair''). Volume 4 describes Anne Marie's experiences in World War I from 1914 to 1916.

Plot summary

Anne Marie's father, Dr. Braun, is a soldier and medical officer in France. Her mother is absent. Mrs. Braun was in England at the outbreak of war, visiting with her cousin Annie, who is married to an Englishman. Mrs. Braun can not go back to Germany because she missed her last opportunity for departure. Of her letters, only some get to her family. During the absence of the parents, the grandmother, the nanny Lena, and the cook Hanne care for Annemarie and her brothers. In England, Mrs. Braun is arrested as an alleged spy, after she has spoken, imprudently excited, about the success of German submarines. She is released soon afterwards. Anne Marie's brother Hans brings a foundling home. The baby, an East Prussian refugee, would likely have perished. Annemarie takes the child into the house enthusiastically and gives him the name “Hindenburg” for

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...

. Finally, the noisy child is passed to the concierge couple and given the name Max. Annemarie’s patriotism goes so far that a "foreign concept checkout" is set up at home and in class. Anyone who uses a foreign word must pay five cents. In Anne Marie's class a new girl, Vera Burkhard, arrives from Czernowitz in Bukovina. Vera hardly speaks German. Spurred on by two older girls, Anne Marie holds Vera for a Polish spy, therefore an enemy, and begins to bully the girl. Anne Marie’s girlfriends Margot, Ilse and Marlene have compassion for Vera, but dare not oppose the dominant Anne Marie. Occasionally Anne Marie has doubts about the correctness of her behavior, but she does not want to admit she is wrong. Finally, the class teacher announces that Vera's father has been killed in the Carpathian battle ( Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive) on the German side and has therefore died a hero’s death. Although Vera is devastated and distraught, her reputation is restored and the shamed Anne Marie wants to make up for her bad behavior. Vera is now her best friend. Other important episodes: Anne Marie believes that a Thai man living in her building is a Japanese alien, an enemy, and henceforth no longer greets him. Lena, her nanny, tells her that rudeness is never patriotic. Anne Marie fears her mother is being treated badly in England. She says this to her doctor, a colleague of her father, who laughs: "The English don’t treat ladies badly, even when they belong to an enemy nation." One evening Anne Marie prays to God, asking that he assist Germany; but she realizes that perhaps French and English children pray to the same God. She then asks God to be neutral, at least. When Annemarie does not want to learn French because it is the language of the enemy, her teacher gives her a lesson in thinking ahead: After the war, relations between peoples will need to be rebuilt, language skills are mandatory, and the Fatherland needs an educated youth. Volume 4 ends with the surprising return of Mrs. Braun from England and the hope for a victorious peace.

Postwar controversy

After 1945 the new publisher removed ''Nesthäkchen and the World War'' from the Nesthäkachen series, because it was on the censorship list of the allied control boards. Ury was, like the majority of

German Jew The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

s, fiercely patriotic, and her descriptions of the events in and around the First World War were classified as glorifying war. Since 1945 the Nesthäkchen series has consisted of only 9 volumes.

Steven Lehrer Steven Lehrer is a physician and writer, known for medical research and for his English translation of Else Ury. Early years and education Lehrer was born in Los Angeles. He attended UCLA and graduated from Johns Hopkins University and Johns H ...

translated ''Nesthäkchen and the World War'' into English in 2006.

Critical reception

*"A uniquely sentimental look at World War I through the eyes of a preteen German girl. Though still immensely popular in Germany, Ury's Nesthäkchen books are virtually unknown in the United States, an omission Lehrer looks to correct with this fine translation, complete with notes and a brief but highly informative introduction." Kirkus Reviews *"Ury's work has been long overlooked in German history, and Lehrer's annotated translation of this work has made an important contribution." H-Net Reviews

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesthakchen and the World War Nesthäkchen series German children's novels Fictional German people 1917 German novels Child characters in literature Children's fiction books 1917 children's books Children's books set during World War I Children's books set in Germany