Der ewige Jude. Aus dem Flämischen übertragen von Anton Kippenberg – by August Vermeylen, (translated from Flemish by Anton Kippenberg), published by Insel-Verlag. Leipzig 1917 – First German Edition. A foundational text that influenced countless antisemitic works that followed in Germany.
The legend of “Der ewige Jude” – “The Eternal Jew” depicts a Jew condemned to wander the world eternally without rest, as punishment for having scorned Jesus. This figure often embodied antisemitic stereotypes in Western Europe, portraying Jews as a rootless, nomadic people, strangers everywhere they went. The book is considered an essential work for understanding the figure of the “Wandering Jew” in European culture and had a significant impact on various readers and intellectuals in Germany and Europe. It became part of the intellectual discourse on the fate of the Jewish people in Europe, particularly in the post-World War I era, when discussions about the future of Jews on the continent were at their peak. The publication of this German edition marked a period of deep crisis in Europe, where ideas of national identity, race, and antisemitism dominated public discourse. The legend of the Eternal Jew was originally written between 1897 and 1906. The German edition presented here was printed in January 1917 by J.B. Hirschfeld (August Preuss) in Leipzig. The German translation was based on the second, revised Flemish edition. The author, August Vermeylen [1872-1945], was a significant Belgian writer, literary critic, and historian. He was a key figure in the Flemish literary movement, striving to promote Flemish culture and language in Belgium. Alongside his literary work, Vermeylen was politically active and considered an influential intellectual in Belgium.
The German translator, Anton Kippenberg, was a renowned publisher, editor, and translator, who founded Insel-Verlag, one of the most influential publishing houses in Germany at the time. The publisher was known for its prestigious publications, especially in literature, poetry, and art.
In Nazi Germany, the antisemitic propaganda film The Eternal Jew was released in 1940, directed by Fritz Hippler with a screenplay by Eberhard Taubert, under the close supervision of propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. The film primarily features video clips and images depicting the lifestyle of Polish Jews, collectively portraying them as corrupt, ugly, filthy, scheming, lazy, and perverse. According to The Eternal Jew, Jews are portrayed as a foreign, parasitic element in Europe, with a supposed religion that serves as a political tool for what was termed “the Jewish race, ” whose ultimate goal is world domination, particularly through control of banking and commerce, all while their way of life is depicted as animalistic and repugnant.
123 pages. Slight wear on the spine. Condition: Good – Very Good.
