Tobias Lehmkuhl's New Biography Reclaims Irmgard Keun, the Weimar Star Banned by the Nazis
Tobias Lehmkuhl has put out a biography titled "Keine von uns," which delves into Irmgard Keun's journey to becoming a significant literary figure during the Weimar Republic. The Nazis condemned and banned her works, branding them as "Asphaltliteratur." In a 1981 chat with Christa Maerker, shortly before her death, Keun compared her lack of recognition in the early Federal Republic to that of male peers like Kurt Tucholsky and Alfred Döblin, saying, “Ach, ich hab mich ja auch nicht genug darum bemüht.” After releasing her 1937 book Nach Mitternacht, she expressed, “Gott verzeih mir die Sünde – aber ich kann wirklich schreiben!” Lehmkuhl's beautifully written book captures this intricate story. Check out the latest Freitag for more details.
Key facts
- Tobias Lehmkuhl is a journalist and the author of the biography „Keine von uns“ about Irmgard Keun.
- Irmgard Keun became a literary star in the Weimar Republic.
- The Nazis defamed and banned her novels as „Asphaltliteratur.“
- Christa Maerker recorded an interview with Keun in 1981, a year before the writer's death.
- Keun said she had not done enough to secure her own remembrance, unlike Kurt Tucholsky and Alfred Döblin.
- In 1937, after the publication of Nach Mitternacht, Keun stated: „Gott verzeih mir die Sünde – aber ich kann wirklich schreiben!“
- The biography is characterized as wonderfully written and captures Keun's characterological range.
- More on the book appears in the current issue of the Freitag.
Entities
Artists
- Irmgard Keun
- Tobias Lehmkuhl
- Christa Maerker
- Kurt Tucholsky
- Alfred Döblin
Institutions
- Freitag
Locations
- Germany