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and when they did check we usually
were sufficiently forewarned to make
a careful "purge" in advance and hide
the 'dangerous books' in the cellar."
To collect writings by exiled Ger-
mans, Kindler and friends who trav-
elled abroad in the 30's bought
books in England, Switzerland, Hol-
land, and other countries. Before
crossing the border they slipped off
the original jackets and substituted
others. According to Kindler, the
customs men seldom discovered the
ruse.
From these sources Editors Kan-
torowicz and Drews put together
"Forbidden and Burned." Out of ap-
proximately 1,000 names they selected
200 of the most important, got together
short biographies of the writers, and
picked out vital excerpts from their
works.
"Most of the pieces were selected
because they especially characterize
the author," Kindler said. "The ma-
jority of the writings are essay-type
short items running no more than one
or two pages to an author.
"Some of the pieces explain the
difficulties encountered by emigrant
authors who left Germany and found
themselves on foreign soil. It is in
these  works that one finds the
strongest feelings of kinship with
other lands, other customs, other
people.
"On the other hand those authors
who remained behind in Germany
underscore the spiritual conflict they
lived through. It goes without saying,
of course, that the book includes
many, many items which speak
strongly against militarism and naz-
ism."
Kindler further pointed out that a
good many of the authors in the book
are former left-wingers who have
since turned away from communism.
He named Arthur Koestler as an
example.
E VEN MORE interesting than the
excerpts themselves are the short
biographical sketches which the edi-
tors have written about each author.
Berthold Brecht, for example "emi-
grated to Denmark in 1933, later lived
in Sweden and Finland, and since
1941 has been living in the USA."
Heinrich Fraenkel, the editors state,
went to Paris in 1933 "without a
passport," later moved on to London,
then fought in the Spanish Civil War,
and came back to Germany in 1946
as correspondent for the "New States-
man and Nation."
Hans Habe emigrated in 1934, join-
ed the Free French Army in 1939,
was taken prisoner in 1940 by the
Germans, escaped, and was among
the first American invasion troops in
France in 1944. Next year found Habe
in charge of the American occupation
organ in Germany, "Die Neue Zeitung.'
Perhaps most interesting of all the
biographies is that of Arthur Koest-
ler, world-famed former Communist
Party member who today is known
for his bitingly-harsh anti-Communist
tracts and books.
Joe Lederer, novelist, was in China,
Austria, Italy and London.
Peter de Mendelssohn, novelist und
journalist, went to Paris and Eng.
land, and after the war returned to
Berlin where he is chief press con-
trol officer with the British Control
Commission. Ludwig Renn, novelist,.
also is back in Germany after living
in Switzerland, Spain, France and
Mexico.
Herbert Schlueter, novelist, lived
in Spain, Yugoslovia and Italy before
returning to Germany. Karl Schnog,
satirist, was captured by the Gestapo
and placed in eight concentration
camps before US troops freed him.
He is the former editor of the US-
licensed satirical magazine, "Ulen.
spiegel," in Berlin.
Some of the biographies are short
tragic notes. Hans Arno Joachim,
A ND SO IT GOES with other
writers in the 215-page paper-
covered book. Annette Kolb, novelist,
left Germany for New York via Paris
and Switzerland. Werner Kraft, poet,
lived in Sweden, Paris and Palestine.
Berlin, 1933: A student sorts banned books to be burned
INFORMATION BULLETIN