Bestsellers of the Third Reich: Readers, Writers and the Politics of Literature

Description

Despite the displacement of countless authors, frequent bans of specific titles, and high-profile book burnings, the German book industry boomed during the Nazi period. Notwithstanding the millions of copies of Mein Kampf that were sold, the era’s most popular books were diverse and often surprising in retrospect, despite an oppressive ideological and cultural climate: Huxley’s Brave New World was widely read in the 1930s, while Saint-Exupéry’s Wind, Sand and Stars was a great success during the war years. Bestsellers of the Third Reich surveys this motley collection of books, along with the circumstances of their publication, to provide an innovative new window into the history of Nazi Germany. Contents Illustrations Acknowledgements for the German Edition, 2010 Acknowledgements for the English Edition Abbreviations Introduction ‘Please, God, Keep Me from Writing a Book About Books!’ Part I The Context Cultural Politics in the ThIrd Reich 1 Sifting, Destroying, Controlling and Promoting: The Politics of Literature Under the Swastika 2 Bestsellers in a Dark Time: Their History and Readers 3 Hitler’s and Goebbels’ Bedtime Reading: What Prominent Nazis Liked to Read Part II The Ten Most Successful Book Types in the Third Reich 4 On the Foundation of Facts: Popular Non-fiction Works 5 The Colour of Money: NS Propaganda Texts 6 Not So Quiet on the Western Front: The Boom of War Books 7 Laughing Through Life, Jolly Volk: Humour and Comedy 8 From Medical Romance Novels to Science Fiction: The Themes and Authors of Modern Light Literature 9 Commodifying Authentic People’s Literature: Karl May, Courths-mahler and the Heroes of Pulp Fiction 10 Foreign Narrative Art: Bestsellers from Abroad 11 In the Shadow of the Classics: Highbrow Literature 12 Blood Without Soil: The Successes of National (social)ist Authors 13 Field Grey Pays Dividends: Reading Fodder for Wartime Conclusion: On the Trail of Bestsellers Appendix Selected Bestsellers and Their Sales Figures Bibliography Index