Read against forgetting: commemoration of the burning of books 1933!

Read against forgetting: commemoration of the burning of books 1933!

On May 8, 2025, the event “Read against Forgetting” will take place in the reading garden of the city library in Gütersloh. This reading commemorates the National Socialist book burning, which took place on May 10, 1933 in Germany. The first reading today is carried out under the participation of pupils: inside the Anne Frank comprehensive school, the texts of persecuted writers: read inside.

The second reading will follow on Saturday, May 10th, at 11 a.m. in the Apostelkirche. Poems and prose texts by well -known authors such as Josefa Metz, Ilse Losa, Jenny Aloni, Erich Kästner, Anne Frank and Felix Fechenbach are performed here. In addition, an excerpt from “Radio Sarajevo” by Tijan Sila is presented. The event is supported musically by the After8 choir. Pastor Wiebke Heine then speaks the peace prayer at 12 noon. Participation in both events takes place free of charge and without prior registration.

historical context

The book burns in May 1933 were part of the "Against the Unsutschen Spirit" campaign and were closely related to the takeover of the National Socialists. Works were burned by over 1000 authors, including Karl Marx, Heinrich Heine and Sigmund Freud, in central places in university cities. These brutal actions were accompanied by large crowds, including students in SA uniform. The National Socialist propaganda had mobilized in order to extinguish the "Und German literature" from German culture. On May 10, 1933, Joseph Goebbels gave a speech in front of around 70,000 people on Berlin Opera Square, today's Bebelplatz, and continued with this brazen insult to the freedom of expression.

The events of these days, which took place in 92 cities, are to be regarded as harbing the Holocaust. Political tensions such as the detention of communist Reichstag MPs and the ban on the SPD were preceded by the book burnings. These are memories that should not be forgotten what today's events underline.

memory work and today's meaning

In Germany, May 10th is now recognized as a commemoration day for the book burns. Numerous memorial events took place after the Second World War. The Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and the Pen Center Germany are actively committed to emphasizing the importance of the freedom of the word and remembering the darkest times of German history.

The upcoming readings in Gütersloh are therefore not only a look back at the dreary past, but also a powerful plea for the freedom of thoughts and a call to prevent forgetting. They serve to raise awareness of the dangers of extremism and intolerance and the voices of the once persecuted writers: to keep alive inside.