Banned in Berlin

Stark has produced a lucid, thoroughly researched study of literary censorship in Wilhelmine Germany, i.e., the period from the founding of the Second Reich in 1871 to the end of WW I. Including an excellent bibliography, much of it in German, and elegant illustrations with English translations, this book may be the final word on this subject. Highly recommended. Choice...a thorough and absorbing study of literary censorship in imperial Germany...a succinct and scholarly account of repressive interventions in the literary sphere. European History QuarterlyGary Stark has written a sophisticated and richly informative study of German censorship. The volume is not only a great introduction to the media and cultural production of Imperial Germany, but also a thoughtful primer on the general significance of censorship ...a marvellous book that should become a standard work in the historiography of Imperial Germany. English Historical ReviewStark offers a convincing and differentiated picture based on wide ranging closely examined source material. Historische ZeitschriftImperial Germanys governing elite frequently sought to censor literature that threatened established political, social, religious, and moral norms in the name of public peace, order, and security. It claimed and exercised a prerogative to intervene in literary life that was broader than that of its Western neighbors, but still not broad enough to prevent the literary community from challenging and subverting many of the social norms the state was most determined to defend. This study is the first systematic analysis in any language of state censorship of literature and theater in imperial Germany (1871-1918). To assess the role that formal state controls played in German literary and political life during this period, it examines the intent, function, contested legal basis, institutions, and everyday operations of literary censorship as well as its effectiveness and its impact on authors, publis