Spring 2010 saw the publication by Foxley Books of two important and unusual classics, Hitler the Truffle Eater, an anti-Nazi lampoon based on the children's book Struwwelpeter, and Fritz Kaisar's Degenerate Art Exhibition Guide 1937, translated into English for the first time by Joachim von Halasz.
Hitler the Truffle Eater (Hitler Der Truffelesser) was published in 1933, the year Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. It is the earliest anti-Hitler comic book of its kind to ridicule the German dictator. The vicious attack is extraordinary in its analysis and understanding of the early Nazi regime. The book follows the events in 1933, including the burning of the Reichstag in February. Here the author suggests that Goebbels was behind the fire, and the event was used by Hitler to curtail German democracy. It also covers the infamous book-burnings and increasing anti-semitic activities in Germany, and shows an acute observation of the sudden changes following the election of Hitler as Chancellor. Finally, the author of the Truffle Eater interestingly refers back to Kaiser Wilhelm and predicts that Europe will suffer a similar fate under Germany ruled by Hitler - namely war and destruction. World Propaganda Series is published by Foxley Books. It is committed to the reproduction and analysis of propagandist material throughout history.
Degenerate Art Exhibition Guide 1937 - Bilingual Edition German/English by Fritz Kaiser with a translation by Joachim von Halasz. On July 191937 the exhibition Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) opened in Munich. On show were 650 paintings and sculptures by 112 artists that were considered out of line with Nazi ideology. The pictures were jammed together with labels insulting the artists. All artwork had been confiscated from 32 German museums. Kaisar's exhibition catalogue was on sale, listing and discussing selected works. Expressionism, Impressionism, Surrealism, Cubism and other Avant-garde movements were considered degenerate. The exhibition was initiated by Joseph Goebbels, minister of propaganda, and managed by Adolf Ziegler, president of the Reich Chamber of Arts. The reprint of the exhibition catalogue will be welcomed by scholars of the period as an indispensable primary source offering a valuable perspective on the formation and development of Nazi ideology.
