Motorway Munich-Nuremberg, November 1945. Erich Kästner drives to the opening of the war crimes trials in Nuremberg. “The crows are crouching in the bare, dead fields,” he writes. And a little later, in the courtroom, the men responsible for the murder of millions of people during National Socialism. Rudolf Hess “jerks his head”. Joachim von Ribbentrop’s face appears “wrinkled and devastated”. In the case of Hans Frank, “a cynical, mute laughter warps the sharp features”.
The author’s observations, summarized with other political speeches and texts, were recently published in the volume “Resignation is not a point of view” (Atrium). They will be presented by publisher Sven Hanuschek on May 4th in the Lehmkuhl bookstore, where Uwe Neumahr will also be reading a few days later: his bestseller “The Writer’s Castle” (CH Beck) illuminates the role of prominent journalists and authors who write about the Nuremberg trials reported. Among them Erich Kästner, who finally drives home through dense fog and despairs of the world: “They will hold those responsible accountable. Will it succeed?”
Erich Kästner: Resignation is not a point of view. Thursday, May 4th; Uwe Neumahr: The Writer’s Castle, Monday, May 8, 7:30 p.m., Lehmkuhl Bookstore, Leopoldstraße 45, lehmkuhl.net