Erich Kästner

German poet, novelist, and children's writer. Born in Dresden, he served in the First World War. After the war, he made his literary debut with the humorous and scathing epic poem collection "The Heart on the Loins" (1928), which satirized the times. This style was continued in his masterpiece novel "Fabian" (1931). However, it was his children's literature works, such as "Emil and the Detectives" (1928), that made him famous worldwide. German children's literature was inaugurated by Emil and the Detectives and reached an international level. However, his liberal exposure of reality and scathing satire were hated by the Nazis, and in May 1933, shortly after the Nazis came to power, his books were branded as un-German and burned, and his works were no longer allowed to be published in Germany, with the last one being the children's masterpiece "The Flying Classroom" (1933). Erich Kästner, who did not seek exile, managed to get through difficult times by publishing humorous novels such as Three Men in the Snow (1934) from Switzerland, and after World War II he became president of the West German PEN Club (1951) and once again demonstrated his vigorous creativity by publishing such works as the play The School for Dictators (1957), and children's literature The Two Lottes (1949) and The Circus Dwarfs (1963).

[Kusuo Seki]

"The Complete Works of Erich Kästner's Juvenile Literature, translated by Kenji Takahashi, 8 volumes (1962, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "The Life of Erich Kästner, written by Kenji Takahashi (1982, Jinjindo Publishing)" ▽ "The Collection of Erich Kästner's Poems, translated by Tomoon Itakura (1975, Shichosha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ドイツの詩人、小説家、児童文学作家。ドレスデンに生まれ、第一次世界大戦に従軍。戦後、時代を風刺するユーモラスで辛辣(しんらつ)な叙事詩集『腰の上の心臓』（1928）によって文学的な出発をした。この作風は、小説の代表作『ファビアン』（1931）にも引き継がれる。しかし彼の名を世界的にしたのは、むしろ『エミールと探偵たち』（1928）をはじめとする児童文学作品であった。ドイツの児童文学はケストナーによって一新紀元を画し、国際的な水準に達することになる。しかし彼の自由主義的な現実暴露、辛辣な風刺はナチスの憎むところとなって、ナチスが政権を獲得した直後の1933年5月に、彼の著書は非ドイツ的という烙印(らくいん)を押されて焚書(ふんしょ)の厄にあい、児童文学の傑作『飛ぶ教室』（1933）を最後に、ドイツでは出版ができなくなった。亡命しなかったケストナーは、スイスからユーモア小説『雪の中の三人男』（1934）などを刊行して苦難の時代を切り抜け、第二次大戦後は西ドイツのペンクラブ会長となって（1951）活躍しながら、戯曲『独裁者の学校』（1957）、児童文学『ふたりのロッテ』（1949）、『サーカスの小びと』（1963）などを発表して、ふたたび旺盛(おうせい)な創作力をみせた。

［関　楠生］

『高橋健二訳『ケストナー少年文学全集』全8巻（1962・岩波書店）』▽『高橋健二著『ケストナーの生涯』（1982・駸々堂出版）』▽『板倉鞆音訳『ケストナァ詩集』（1975・思潮社）』

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