MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - 'Mein Kampf' to be republished in Germany 70 years after Hitler's death

Andy_T · 12-09-2015, 01:07 AM

I have not read it - but I have listened to it.

I don't know how (considering it has obviously been banned so far), but some years ago i downloaded from Amazon Germany Helmut Qualtinger's rendition of Hitler's "Mein Kampf", simply as it interested me how that book could fascinate so many people.

I have to explain here - Helmut Qualtinger, a late Austrian comic, actor and writer, produced this in 1973, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Nazis ascent to power and to try to explain how it could happen.

He sat down on stage reading simply the words from the book - not the complete book, but excerpts from every chapter, and he used his very distinctive voice and modulation to illustrate the madness behind the words.

Qualtinger was also renowned for creating a figure that has become one of the Austrian archetypes, called "Herr Karl" ("Mister Karl"). This is basically a one-hour-long one-person-monologue depicting the employee of a small delicatessen shop who is arranging the storeroom and explaining to the audience, a "young person", about his past.

What was a major scandal at the time it was first given in my home country Austria was that Mr Karl seems to be a nice, friendly, jovial, slightly naive person, but during the course of the monoloque shows himself as spineless and opportunistic egoist who always tries to profit from whoever is in power. This was a scandal mainly as it was in line with the bahaviour of many Austrian citizens, but normally not mentioned afterwards, Austria having been "the first victim of Nazi oppression"

To anybody who is capable of understanding German, I suggest to listen to those two performances. I guess they are available on youtube.

Best regards,
Andy

12-09-2015, 01:07 AM	#40
Andy_T Evangelist Posts: 431 Karma: 5121676 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Hannover, Germany Device: iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, Kindle KB, NT, Fire, PW II	I have not read it - but I have listened to it. I don't know how (considering it has obviously been banned so far), but some years ago i downloaded from Amazon Germany Helmut Qualtinger's rendition of Hitler's "Mein Kampf", simply as it interested me how that book could fascinate so many people. I have to explain here - Helmut Qualtinger, a late Austrian comic, actor and writer, produced this in 1973, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Nazis ascent to power and to try to explain how it could happen. He sat down on stage reading simply the words from the book - not the complete book, but excerpts from every chapter, and he used his very distinctive voice and modulation to illustrate the madness behind the words. Qualtinger was also renowned for creating a figure that has become one of the Austrian archetypes, called "Herr Karl" ("Mister Karl"). This is basically a one-hour-long one-person-monologue depicting the employee of a small delicatessen shop who is arranging the storeroom and explaining to the audience, a "young person", about his past. What was a major scandal at the time it was first given in my home country Austria was that Mr Karl seems to be a nice, friendly, jovial, slightly naive person, but during the course of the monoloque shows himself as spineless and opportunistic egoist who always tries to profit from whoever is in power. This was a scandal mainly as it was in line with the bahaviour of many Austrian citizens, but normally not mentioned afterwards, Austria having been "the first victim of Nazi oppression" To anybody who is capable of understanding German, I suggest to listen to those two performances. I guess they are available on youtube. Best regards, Andy