Erich Kästner

Erich Kästner was born in Dresden in 1899, the son of Ida Kästner, who later became a hairdresser, and Emil Richard Kästner, a master saddler. He fought in the First World War and later studied German, history and philosophy. In addition to his writing activities, Kästner was a theatre critic and freelancer for various newspapers. Kästner’s books were banned by the Nazis in 1933. He was arrested several times between 1937 and 1945, but was always released. Kästner did not emigrate, which he was later reprimanded for. From 1945 until his death in 1974, Kästner lived in Munich and worked for the  “Neue Zeitung”. In 1957, he received the Georg Büchner Prize.