Book Day in Germany (10/05)

Book Day (German. Tag des Buches) takes place in Germany every year on May 10th. This date was not chosen by chance — it reminds millions of people around the world of the true face of fascism. It was on May 10, 1933, that a barbaric action of burning books by the National Socialists that were objectionable to the Hitler regime took place in Berlin and some other German cities.

This action was planned in the bowels of the German Ministry of Propaganda back in February 1933. Its authorship is attributed to the Germanic philologist, Dr. Goebbels, who had recently been appointed minister of the above-mentioned department.

The public burning of books was aimed, firstly, at intimidating the «average person», who is accustomed to respecting the printed word, and secondly, at attracting young people to the side of the National Socialists. It gave young people the opportunity to feel the radicalism of the new government, as well as the fact that the new government has high hopes for it. It was the students who were prescribed the main role in the upcoming Inquisition of Books.

Public book burning events took place in many, mostly university, cities across the country: Bonn, Frankfurt am Main, Munich. Teachers and university rectors were required to attend the « bonfire festival». «First writers — then teachers», — students whispered.

Oscar Maria Graf, a famous German writer, did not find his name on the list of books burned. However, this did not make him happy at all. «I have been striving to write the truth all my life!», — he turned to the authorities. «Why don't you burn my books too? Did I really write badly?».

20 thousand books were set on fire in Berlin alone. Mainly books by Jewish authors, as well as works of a Marxist and pacifist nature. Works by Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, works by Heinrich and Thomas Mann, Stefan Zweig, Erich Koestner, Sigmund Freud and others.

Goebbels' action brought the expected effect. Revolutionary enthusiasm and radicalism, generational conflict and the ambition of young scientists — everything was skillfully used to attract young people to the side of the National Socialists. German students in the early 1930s made the most dizzying university career in German history. Now all that remained was to organize the youth. The Nazi regime coped with this task very soon.

Public book burning events took place in many, mostly university, cities across the country (Photo: Everett Historical, licensed by Shutterstock.com)

«The fire festival» served as the starting point for the introduction of total censorship.

During the years of the Nazi dictatorship, the list of banned books grew to 5.5 thousand works. Some authors were banned completely, others partially. Writers, poets, and scientists came under the pressure of state propaganda. German literature was crushed. Almost all the prominent writers of the — Mann family (Thomas and Heinrich), Remarque, Feuchtwanger, Stefan Gheorghe, Bertolt Brecht went into exile. Those who remained either stopped writing or became victims of unknown killers. Of the famous writers, only Ernst Junger and Gottfried Benn remained loyal to the regime. The fate of German emigrants was dramatic and sometimes tragic. Kurt Tucholsky, Karl Einstein, Walter Benjamin, Stefan Zweig voluntarily left life after committing suicide.

Now the events of the 1930s in Germany seem terrible and incredible to us. Yet we should never forget about them to prevent «kostra» from happening again in the future. For this purpose, on the modern Bebelplatz square in Berlin, where books were once burned, there is one of the most amazing monuments in Germany — «Versunkene Bibliothek» («Drowned Library»). Its author is — Israeli architect Micha Ullmann, whose parents left Germany in 1933.

In the center of the square, under a thick square of glass, there is a white room with empty bookshelves. The magical glow spreading from under the glass attracts passers-by. The empty space underground conveys the idea of loss. And next to the glass plate — there is a small explanatory sign: « In this square on May 10, 1933, Nazi students burned books».

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