Ernst Ludwig Hiemer, Der Giftpilz [The Poisonous Mushroom]

S. Elisha Brooker (East Carolina University); Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Ed. by Jennifer Marston William, Purdue University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1938

Places

Germany (Publication/ performance; Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Children's Literature
Propaganda

Resources

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Der Giftpilz

(

The Poisonous Mushroom

) is a children’s propaganda book printed in Nuremberg, Germany by the

Stürmer

publishing house in 1938. Its strongly antisemitic children’s stories served as part of the National Socialist (Nazi) plan to indoctrinate German youth and shape them into unquestioning, loyal conformers to Adolf Hitler’s worldview. With such efforts the National Socialists sought to build an Aryan racial “utopia” in the Third Reich. In order to understand this book’s message and its impact on Germany, it is important to examine author Ernst Hiemer’s biography and how he conceived the children’s stories in

The Poisonous Mushroom

to reinforce Nazi efforts to indoctrinate German youth.

Ernst Hiemer

Ernst Hiemer

Ernst Ludwig Hiemer was born on July 5, 1900 in

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3481 words

Citation: Brooker, S. Elisha, Jill E. Twark. "Der Giftpilz". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 April 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39079, accessed 23 November 2024.]