Memorial event: Harald Arnold reads against the forgetting of book burning

Memorial event: Harald Arnold reads against the forgetting of book burning

On Friday, July 25, 2025, a very special reading will take place in the Fouqué library in Brandenburg an der Havel. The author Harald Arnold will read from Oskar Maria Graf's autobiography "We are prisoners", which offers exciting insights into Graf’s life from childhood to the end of the First World War and during the Munich Räterepublik. This reading takes place as part of the memory of book burning, which was carried out on July 27, 1933 in Brandenburg and in many other cities in Germany. The event begins at 4:00 p.m. and admission is free. In the case of rain, the reading is held indoors. Further information is available on the phone number (03381) 58 42 03.

The burning of books, which was part of the National Socialist campaign "against the Unsutschen Spirit", began on May 10, 1933 in several German cities. Over 20,000 books were burned in Berlin alone, including works by well -known writers such as Bertolt Brecht and Erich Kästner. Oskar Maria Graf, whose works were victims of these burns, protested with his call "burn me!" And criticized the rulers at the time. During the National Socialist rule, many writers and artists were persecuted, arrested and had to go into exile. Graf himself said in an article that he was horrified that his books were not burned and demanded that they were to be handed over to the "pure flame of the stake". These striking words reflect the resistance that many writers showed.

a historical review

In a literary context, the call from Graf also formed a support for other poets that should not be underestimated. His protest Bertolt Brecht inspired a poem about the horrific reality that his own works should not get on the flames. Brecht, who himself was a victim of this censorship, recognized the absurd reality and published his thoughts. His words show how literature and resistance are strongly intertwined and how important it is to reflect these topics today.

a sign of memory

The reading in the Fouqué library is more than just a literary event; It is an honorable commemoration of the victims of the book burns and a strong sign against forgetting. Graf and numerous other writers stood for values such as freedom and singularity and are therefore still role models in the fight against oppression.