Ernst Toller and German Society

As this outstanding work shows, the life of Ernst Toller can be seen as a mirror of German history in the early 20th century. A disillusioned veteran of WW I, Toller played a major role in the short-lived Bavarian Socialist Republic of 1919. After its collapse, Toller, who managed to escape execution in the reaction that ensued, went on to become one of the Weimar Republic's most significant playwrights and social critics. He saw danger everywhere: in the obstructionism of the communists, in the myopia of the social democrats, and most of all in the growing strength of the reactionary Right. Brilliant though he may have been as an intellectual leader, Toller could not avail against Hitler and the Nazis, and his final years were spent in exile. Ellis (Institute for Leadership Studies and History) not only gives readers a richly documented and vividly written portrait of an idealist who deplored violence, but provides insights into a society in which intellectuals experienced alienation and isolation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
Ellis' biography highlights the devastating impact World War I had on German society in general and Toller's life in particular. It also illuminates his tragic plight as a German exile author, showing how difficult it was for some to make the transition to the New World. . . .His fine biography allows us to see German and American society in the post-World War I era through the eyes of a social critic and exile author, with Toller's life story providing a prism through which the trials and tribulations of a tragic era come into sharp focus. * German Life *
The story told is informed and compelling and will appeal to a general audience. . . .The study successfully embeds the narrative of its protagonist within the social and political conflicts of this time. . . .The book provides a useful introduction to Toller's work and thought. It has the virtue . . . of providing a broader cultural and intellectual context for Toller's work. * Monatshefte *
The appearance of a new monograph in English on Ernst Toller is a very welcome thing. . . .Throughout, Ellis maintains an admirable honesty about his subject. . . .The greatest strength of Ellis’s book is the thoroughness of the research behind it. . . .This is a thoroughly researched and often erudite intellectual biography whose subject is richly deserving of its interdisciplinary approach. * German Studies Review *
Ellis’s book is an extremely thorough study of Toller’s time and of Toller himself. The width and breadth of his knowledge of German culture is demonstrated with myriad references to people, ideas, influences, and the socio-political circumstances of World War I and the interwar period. His writing is lucid and attention grabing; the text is well organized—the book is a pleasure to read. * Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature *