Friedrich

Friedrich was written by Hans Peter Richter and was first published in Germany in 1961. It is a work of historical fiction, focusing on the rise of the Nationalsozialistische Deutscher Arbeiterpartei (Nazi Party). Richter was born in 1925 and personally witnessed the rise of the Nazi movement and Hitler’s subsequent dictatorship. Richter himself also fought during the war. After the war, he went on to study psychology and sociology. He wrote many books and was also a professor of sociology at the University of Darmstadt. While the book is not autobiographical, Richter did draw on his own experiences for inspiration. The story focuses on the Second World War and addresses themes like The Slippery Slope of Antisemitism/Racism, Nazism and Guilt, and Understanding Others as a Means to Combat Racism. In 1972, the book won the American Library Association’s Mildred L. Batchelder Award. This guide uses the following English version: Richter, Hans Peter. Friedrich. Translated by Edite Kroll, Scholastic, 1993. The following German version is used for comparison: Richter, Hans Peter. Damals war es Friedrich. dtv Verlagsgesellschaft, 2021.

Content Warning: The source material contains many instances of antisemitic behavior, language, and some violence.