Known primarily as a children’s author, Erich Kästner was also one of the leading lights of Berlin culture during the Weimar Republic. His satirical poetry and prose captured the essence of the times both politically and socially. Present at the 1933 book burnings when his own works were thrown into the flames, Kästner survived the “Third Reich” relatively unscathed, and although he received numerous literary honours during the post-war period, he did not produce anything approaching his masterworks of the 1920s.

Erich Kästner was born in Dresden on 23 February 1899 to Ida and Emil Kästner. His father, a leatherworker, and his mother, a maid and hairdresser, had a difficult marriage, and Kästner developed an extremely close rel

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First published 29 November 2007

Citation: Skidmore, James M.. "Erich Kästner". The Literary Encyclopedia. 29 November 2007.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11872, accessed 9 February 2010.]