Germany Books

Peter R. Erspamer, The Elusiveness of Tolerance: The "Jewish Question" from Lessing to the Napoleonic Wars, reviewed by Dr. David T. Murphy, Professor of History at Anderson University, in German Studies Review, Vol. XXII, No. 1, pp. 116-117

The title of Peter Erspamer's study of early German literature concerning what became known as the "Jewish question" is well chosen, in two ways: Not only have the goals of legal toleration and cultural acceptance for eligious and ethnic minorities in Germany and the West proven elusive, but, as this study makes abundantly clear, agreement upon the meaning of the term "tolerance" itself has turned out to be equally difficult to attain. In Germany during the Enlightenment and Revolutionary eras, for example, "tolerance" could and did signify a range of meanings. While the term evoked a narrowly conceived sense of permission or "sufferance of evil" to some, for a smaller group of others it suggested a much broader notion of freedom of convictions.

Erspamer's revised dissertation provides a competent introduction to the early decades of the literary debate over the proper status of Jews in Germany. Taking as his starting point Lessing's Nathan the Wise of 1779, a work whose impact upon public understanding of the struggle for Jewish rights led George Mosse to describe it as the "Magna Carta" of German Jewry, Erspamer follows the reactions which Lessing's philo-Semitic drama provoked among a number of German audiences over the next several decades. The author gives particular attention to the views of Prussian officialdom, as expressed in the writings of Christian Wilhelm Dohm, the responses of Germany's various Jewish communities themselves, the emergence of a short-lived school of emancipatory drama and of course, the beginnings of the more enduring anti-Semitic backlash against the drive for emancipation.

Among the strengths of this monograph is its insightful attention to nuance in the response of Germany's Jews to the public debate about emancipation as it was carried on both within the Jewish community and in the larger Gentile culture. Contrary to widespread Christian perceptions, German Jewry of the period constituted a highly fragmented and heterogeneous group, embracing the reform-oriented Maskilim of the Jewish Enlightenment, the considerable community of "Taufjuden", or converted Jews, and the German orthodox community. The diversity of Judaism conditioned a wide range of responses to the drive for emancipation, from the almost Deistic Judaism of Moses Mendelssohn, the most famous Jewish proponent of emancipation, to the involved struggle toward self-identity of the remarkable converted Jew Rahel Varnhagen.

Erspamer also does a nice job of explicating the emerging anti-Semitic ideology which began to be elaborated in response to demands for Jewish emancipation. At this time, the remarkably durable Judeophobic religious prejudices of the Middle Ages began to merge with the clearly racial anti-Semitism of theorists such as Ernst Moritz Arnt, crystallizing and then disseminating what Erspamer describes as popular "myths of ethnic homogeneity." The author's understanding of the paradoxical ideological appeal of anti-Semitism as both the tool of an authoritarian state as well as a form of political expression of an oppressed people is perceptive.

While this work is well edited in regard to technical matters, it is burdened by a few stylistic shortcomings, including unnecessary repition of key concepts and sometimes of almost complete sentences in the early portions of the book. Clumsy neologisms like "dialecticizing" also crop up occasionally, though that is perhaps unavoidable in a contemporary work of literary criticism. Taken as a whole, however, this is a study whose virtues considerably outweigh its defects and which provides valuable insight into the dynamics of the evolution of ideas.

The Elusiveness of Tolerance: The "Jewish Question" from Lessing to the Napoleonic Wars, by Peter R. Erspamer, reviewed by Erlis G. Wickersham, Professor of German at Rosemont College, in: Choice, July/August 1997--Vol. 34, No. 11/12, pp. 182-83

In this interesting, well-conceived study, Erspamer considers the tolerance debate in Germany and Austria from the publication of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's Nathan the Wise (1779) to the end of the Napoleonic era. Erspamer makes excellent use of sources, presenting a balance of documents for and against the Enlightenment ideal promulgated by Lessing and influenced by the leading figure of the Haskalah: Moses Mendelssohn. He discusses both authors in fresh, insightful ways, while providing a balanced view of historical criticism. He analyzes pamphlets engendered by Lessing's book from writers like Pfranger, Dohm, Ascher, and Diez, and dramas with Jewish themes by writers like Reinicke, Bischof, Lotich, and Ziegelhauser. In such chapters as "Emancipatory Drama after Lessing" and "Myths of Homogeneity: Anti-Semitic Literature after 1800," he traces the devastating effects of nationalistic sentiments inspired by the Wars of Liberation. He illuminates the polemics of antisemitic Romantics like Achim von Arnim and Fichte, using well-chosen quotations in German. Despite quirks of style, Erspamer provides an integrated view of a seminal era for German-Jewish relations, needed materials, and valuable insights. Extensive bibliography, notes, and index. Recommended for all collections.

The Shoemaker and the Elves stands out as one of the rare fairytales of old where the characters are actually nice. If you don't remember the story, it is about a shoemaker and his wife who, through no fault of their own, are down on their luck. Their fortune changes though when two small elves miraculously appear to turn their difficult situation around.

Down to just the smallest amount of leather --only enough to make one pair of shoes-- the shoemaker goes to bed with the intention of crafting the shoes in the morning. When he (they) wake up however, they find that the shoes have inexplicably been made. A customer soon follows for whom the shoes fit so well that the shoemaker is rewarded with enough cash to buy leather for two new pairs of shoes.

He goes to bed again that night with the intention of making the shoes in the morning; and is greeted again with a fait accompli. This goes on until the shoemaker has regained financial stability.

Right before Christmas, the husband and wife decide to find out who is doing this for them. They hide out and discover naked elves are doing the good deeds. The couples response is to perform a kindness in return. They make tiny clothes for the little darlings. It is winter after all and surely even elves must like to stay warm.

They set out the clothes and hide again. The elves arrive and are stunned speechless. Then they hurriedly get dressed and dance with glee. For reasons unexplained, now that they have clothes, they are free to never return. And everyone lives happily ever after.

Four Stars. Classic Galdone drawings. Classic story. [I particularly like that in this fairytale that people are kind.]

This is one of the better versions of this tale that I have seen. Its wording is faithful to the original tale but is accessible also. The illustrations are delightful. Especially the elves, naked and clothed alike. (Some versions of this tale omit the fact that the elves are supposed to be naked initially -- Galdone doesn't hesitate to draw them naked but does so in a way that is sweet, funny and G-rated.)

I greatly appreciate this book by Clifford Smith as I have found, discovered, and verified many, many of my ALDINGER family ancestors who immigrated from Fellbach, Germany. Since receiving this book in 1995, I have lived in Fellbach for five months and have personally met many ALDINERS in Fellbach. Thanks again!!

I greatly appreciate this book by Clifford Smith as I have found, discovered, and verified many, many of my ALDINGER family ancestors who immigrated from Fellbach, Germany. Since receiving this book in 1995, I have lived in Fellbach for five months and have personally met many ALDINERS in Fellbach. Thanks again!!

After reading this excellent memoir I find myself on more intimate terms with Martin Heidegger! The author, a close friend of Heidegger for many years, clearly loved and respected him. This is not an "unbiased" or critical recollection of the philosopher; it is a loving and detailed portrait.

I learned much that I didn't already know. For example, I had no idea that Heidegger liked Frederico Garcia Lorca, or that he identified with the character of Don Martin in Lorca's "Dona Rosita." He also loved Karl Orff's opera "Antigone" and Mozart's the "The Marriage of Figaro." While Heidegger was no film buff, he liked Kurosawa's "Rashomon." I hadn't appreciated quite how much Heidegger loved Cezanne, either.

Aside from Heidegger's cultural and academic interests and influences, this memoir interestingly recounts several "encounters and dialogues" that the author had with Heidegger, as well as conversations the philosopher had with others (such as Clara Rilke, Jean-Paul Sartre, and a marvelous exchange with a Tibetan monk who visited Heidegger at his home). Petzet often jotted down Heidegger's conversations, either while they happened or just afterwards when they were still fresh in his memory.

The book also sheds light on Heidegger's day to day activities, describing home and workplace, as well as life at his famed "hut." It goes through the different stages of Heidegger's life. Many have criticized Heidegger's brief and unfortunate involvement with the Nazis, but Petzet claims Heidegger and the Nazis were enemies. The Nazis spied on Heidegger via the Gestapo, blacklisted, and harshly censored him. They even prevented him from lecturing and traveling.

Petzet's memoir is truly an intimate portrait, fleshing out the historical Heidegger and showing his very tender relationships with people from all over the world and from many walks of life. My only warning to readers is that the book contains a flood of names that are more well known in Germany/Europe than elsewhere.

Heinrich Petzet and his family cultivated a lifelong friendship with Martin Heidegger and his family, and thus this recollection presents an insider's view of who in fact Martin was and where he stood on issues political, philosophical, poetic, and even soccer. While this is neither a guide to Heidegger's pathways of thinking, nor an apology, nor even a biography as such, it none the less is an eyewitness account of what Martin said, did, felt, believed in the depths of his thinking, and at those cross roads at which he has been unjustly vilified.
In no uncertain terms, this sets the record straight on the assault on Martin's character by those who would like to capitalize on the sins of Nazi Germany. From an ethical standpoint, which is worse? In any case, Petzet makes it clear how and why Heidegger's rectoral address was misinterpreted - consider who stood to gain - why the Nazis were pissed at him and put a Gestapo tail on him, forbidding him to publish and restricting his travel, and then moves on to what in fact are very enlightening and humanistic snapshots of a life spent in friendship and dedication between these two men. Heidegger, for his part, never endorsed the idea of a biography - he was never into the cult of personality, which in itself was a sublime rebuke to those who sought to crucify him. He was first and foremost about the pathways and contributions to thinking and recovering what was lost after the epoch of Parmenides and Heracleitus and Sophocles.
Through the course of this wonderful book, Heidegger's interest in Carl Orff, Picasso, Klee, and especially world cup soccer are also presented. Those who were his friends and colleagues knew what the real man was like, and this is a glimpse of him. Like Socrates, he took the hemlock of opinion because he knew his efforts would stand on their own merit. He was a caring and compassionate friend who suffered the loss of friends and neighbors like so many others in WW2, who was more or less under house arrest, whose family was threatened because he steadfastly refused to espouse and embrace the Nazi racist ideals, and in fact, as rector at Freiburg, Heidegger demanded that anti-semitic banners not be displayed. No other German intellectual put his life on the line as Martin did. This sets the record straight. Anything else you have heard or read is a lie. I remember reading an incredibly stupid and libellous retard by Woody Allen when Heidegger died, and it struck me then that there was an industry about demonizing those one couldn't refute on their own terms. Unlike Allen, Heidegger walked the walk. He was the genuine article at a time in history when such authenticity was extraordinarily dangerous.
As his life drew to a close, Martin Heidegger never lost his sight of how endearing his family and friends had been to him, and his final words to Petzet are both heroic and deeply touching. We should all muster such nobility, dignity, respect and grace. The last giant left us in 1976. There will never be another quite like him. We are fortunate to have Petzet's account. We would all do well to take up the path of thinking Martin pointed to. In the end, that is what is most sacred about being.

Although it may be argued that Bauer's Das Entdeckte Christenthum is far less subversive than Nietzsche's Antichrist (P. Trejo) or Stirner's The Ego and Its Own, I am of a different opinion. The Christanity Exposed or Demasked was not written by a Christianity hater, but by a Protestant analyst who had lost his faith in the course of his prior studies on the Synoptics and St. John. Written by a professional and critical theologian who had sincerely intended to confirm the existence of historical Jesus and attest to the veracity and validity of the Gospels, this book was also written by an ex-theologian completely divested of any religious illusions. The result he obtains is similar to the conclusion reached by Feuerbach in the Essence of Christianity (God is a human projection). Bauer's work was much praised by Schweitzer and may still be continued by Hans Kung. The Prussian authorities had a good reason to dismiss Bruno B. from Berlin University and were equally justified in banning the book which - much as it fails to comply with the research standards of today - sets out to pose a number of vexed questions and problems (eg Edelman's discussion of the Devil) that are likely to make ingenuous church-goers sustain a religious trauma. Incontestably B. Bauer was one of the ablest thinkers of his time and it is difficult to explain how and why his name has sunk into obscurity. (The reasons suggested by Trejo, however, seem very convincing.)

The day this book was published in Germany it was banned and the publisher was imprisoned. Bruno Bauer, the author, soon lost his position as a University lecturer, but he continued to write about history, theology and politics according to his conscience and his commitment to the freedom of thought.

Because Karl Lowith suggested that CHRISTIANITY EXPOSED (1843) might have been a model for Nietzsche's THE ANTICHRIST (1893), we may understand why there has been considerable hesitation to translate this book into English. I had to see this with my own eyes, and when I did, I realized that people greatly exaggerated the alleged radical nature of Bauer's writings.

This book is far milder than THE ANTICHRIST. In fact, Bruno Bauer here mainly reviews some writings from a theologian who lived in the 1700's, namely, Johann Edelmann. By modern standards this book should never have been banned, and there should have been no hestitation to translate it into English. It is well-written, thoughtful and scholarly.

The translators have done a fine job with this edition. It is easy to read, presented in contemporary English.

This is an academic book, hardcover, mainly for University libraries and scholars, yet it has inter-disciplinary interest, I think. Historians, philosophers, theologians, theorists and political scientists will all find something of interest in this, the first English edition of one of the most feared books of 1843.

Despite the fact that Bruno Bauer, the famous Young Hegelian, wrote dozens of books, this is only the third book of Bauer's translated into English. Thanks to this translating team, the English reader has a chance to see what all the fuss was about.

Best regards,
--Paul Trejo

ENLIGHTENED NATIONALISM is a profound and lucid account of how nationalism arose in Germany by tracing its roots to Prussia in the early 1800's after Prussia's defeat by Napoleon. The author's research is based on his groundbreaking analysis of previously unavailable documents. He carefully describes the interplay between King Frederick III, his aristocratic advisers -- some liberal, others staunchly reactionary -- the traditionalist landed nobility, and the growingly restive citizenry in the struggles over whether and how to grant Prussia a constitution. The book's well-documented insights help us understand how Prussia later came to dominate Germany.

ENLIGHTENED NATIONALISM is a profound and lucid account of how nationalism arose in Germany by tracing its roots to Prussia in the early 1800's after Prussia's defeat by Napoleon. The author's research is based on his groundbreaking analysis of previously unavailable documents. He carefully describes the interplay between King Frederick III, his aristocratic advisers -- some liberal, others staunchly reactionary -- the traditionalist landed nobility, and the growingly restive citizenry in the struggles over whether and how to grant Prussia a constitution. The book's well-documented insights help us understand how Prussia later came to dominate Germany.

Most familiar with the German Navy and World War Two are familiar with only two things, the U-Boat threat to England and the battleship Bismark. If they are familiar with German commanders at sea they know only of Donitz, who surrendered the Third Reich in 1945. But this book shifts the focus from Donitz and the submarines and looks at German naval policy in reference to her big ships. Raeder was a product of World War One and the idea that Germany could have a fleet that would challenge Britain. Particularly he was influenced by Tirpitz and Scheer and Von Spee and the heroics of the merchant raiders. However he had his own ideas. This book sheds light on his relations with Nazism, which previously was never exposed, and this is an interesting insight. Raeders ideas were obscure and useless in the long run and never played themselves out, the Tirpitz and Bismark were destroyed(but not before the Hood) and Raeder went into obscurity. Nevertheless this is an interesting story of the German Navy and its officers in the shadow of nazism. A worthwhile contribution.

Seth J. Frantzman

Raeder has always been one of those 'Oh yeah, there was this admiral' type figures in the German history of World War II. So much more attention has been paid to submarines and Donitz that Raeder is just forgotten.

A couple of points become very clear in this excellent biography:

First was Raeder's affinity, if not devotion, to Hitler and his cause. It doesn't seem that he was so involved with things like the holocaust and slave labor as some of the others, but it is clear that he was a Hitler supporter.

Second was Raeder's belief in the traditional 'Big Gun' surface ships. As was proven in World War II, the effort spent on this part of the German Navy was clearly a mistake. The money would have been much better spent on development of advanced submarines and especially on developing air power. Air power may have just gotten him in more conflict with Goring, but this might have worked out much better if approached at the beginning of the Hitler period. As it was, Naval Air did do a lot of damage with the few FW-200s they had.

A well written book that fills a gap in World War II history.

Andre Breton s'interessait a la poesie creee au hasard. Ensuite son copain Max Ernst en faisait le meme dans l'art. Il representait, par des images creees au hasard, la super realite au-dela du quotidien. La dedans se melaient toutes les influences: de l'art dadaiste et expressioniste, des drogues, de l'hypnose, de la philosophie. Par son art - de collages, decalcomania, frottages, gouttages, grattages - il ouvrait la porte aux artistes de l'abstrait et du culture pop, de l'apres-guerre.

Surrealism founder Andre Breton wondered if random creating could work in art as it had in poetry. His friend Max Ernst made the effort by drawing on experimentation with hypnosis and mind-altering drugs, his own studies in philosophy, his years as an Expressionist and then Dada artist, and influences from fellow Surrealist Giorgio de Chirico. ERNST's collages, decalcomania, drippings, frottages, and grattages personalized images from the conscious and the unconscious into an eerily mysterious, unexpected super reality different from the waking world and not so easy to understand. He went on to influence post-war Abstract Expressionists and Pop artists, as seen by reading Carter Ratcliff's THE FATE OF A GESTURE and by viewing "Pollock." I used to think that the Dali dream sequence in the film "Spellbound" was the best glimpse of what Surrealism was about, but editor Jose Maria Faerna also gives a clear, compact view. This well-illustrated and organized book, along with his DE CHIRICO, shows what happened after William Vaughan's GERMAN ROMANTIC PAINTING. It also pigeonholes Ernst's place in Robert Motherwell's THE DADA PAINTERS AND POETS, Herbert Edward Read's A CONCISE HISTORY OF MODERN PAINTING, Peter Howard Selz's GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST PAINTING, and Patrick Waldberg's SURREALISM.

General Erwin Rommel was able to do the most with the least. Against great odds he earned the name "Desert Fox" by those he fought against; the British and their allies. Code of honor was important to him to where he cut the limited water rations of his own troops so that their prisoners would not die of thirst. The irony is that he received less respect from Hitler and the German high command than from the British and French. If there was a Nobel Prize for military genius he would have won it. He was loved by his troops and when he was recalled from North Africa hated to leave them. One of the British commanders, in a memo to his troops, referred to him as "our friend Rommel".

Part of the oustanding "Commanders in Focus" series from Brassey's, Eriwn Rommel 1891-1944 by Karl Hoffmann is an in-depth analysis of one of Germany's most famous and celebrated military leaders, a gentleman warrior also known as the "Desert Fox". Black-and-white photographs and military diagrams highlight this critical assessment of Rommel's strengths, weaknesses, character, and service - dissecting his engagements in World War I and II, and analyzing him both as a military commander and as a manager of men. A must-have for lay readers and military historians alike with a keen interest in learning from Rommel's brilliant life, which ultimately ended far too soon at the hands of his own side.

Escape To Life follows one family's amazing, horrifying journey through the Holocaust. It is a firsthand account of awful events in human history that you will read and wish that they had not occurred on this planet. But they did, and this account is as tragic as it is ultimately triumphant and hopeful.

Something I found truly amazing is how quick the victims in this book (of which there are many) are willing to offer kind excuses for the people who betray them and hurt them most. A Rabbi refuses Willy aid, and Willy's first thought is one of compassion and understanding. The Rabbi must be afraid. He's not a terrible person, he must just be as terrified as the rest of the poor victims. The same for neighbors who could have taken Willy and his fellow escapees in, but deny them. Again, Willy does not attribute this to hate or evil-doing. He attributes it to fear and paranoia. Where the victims could have been bitter and remorseless, they are forgiving and empathetic. Truly inspiring and downright amazing, coming from a man (Willy) who learns that his wife Esther and daughters were killed in the Auschwitz gas chambers. Amazing, considering that his future wife Mirele discovers that her first husband died right after the liberation as a result of the Nazi death camp.

Hope is the message printed on every page. Hope that human beings are not evil, but they can be misled and coerced into doing evil things. Even the title of the book is positive and hopeful -- Escape To Life could have very easily been Escape From Death. But instead the message is upbeat. Life goes on, but the past cannot be forgotten. Life goes on, but the horrible truths from our past must be learned from so they never happen again.

Personally, my heart beat faster with every flip of the page. I wanted every one of these kind, decent people to survive and live long, happy lives. But that was not the case. I wanted every married couple broken apart to be reunited with their children. But that was not the case. What does happen is people are horribly mistreated and withstand hate on an immeasurable scale, and ultimately succeed. William and Mirele survive and build a life and family together and are eternally grateful to those who aided them.

I gained a lot from reading this book. 'Tragic' doesn't begin to describe it, yet 'hopeful' somehow describes it perfectly. It's a book you will read and never forget. I think that was the idea behind its existence.

Escape To Life: A Journey Through The Holocaust is an amazingly upbeat biography of Maria and William Herskovic, two remarkable and determined holocaust survivors. William escaped an Auschwitz labor camp and became one of the first recorded eyewitnesses to Hitler's crimes against humanity, and is credited with the rescue of hundreds from the gas chambers; Maria was a teenage girl who hid her parents from the Nazis and daily risked life to provide them with food. An absorbing, sometimes suspenseful, sometimes brutally severe account of the struggle to survive in the face of humans perpetrating inhuman cruelty, Escape To Life is a welcome and impressive contribution to Holocaust Studies collections and reading lists.