Ernst Jünger

March 29, 1895 - February 17, 1998


The official statement that accompanied the issue of the commemorative stamp above had this to say about Ernst Jünger -- The literary works of Ernst Jünger span the twentieth century, beginning with "In Stahlgewittern" (Storms of Steel) (1920), which does not glorify war but describes it in a sober fashion, and ending with "Siebzig verweht V" (1997). He, the observer, explained and made analyses of this century in diaries, essays, stories, novels, observations of nature and travel reports. Ernst Jünger remained a loner all his life, a worldly hermit of relentless integrity who refused to subject himself to contemporary trends. "I do not contradict myself", he said when asked about the alleged stylistic inconsistencies in his works which he considered to be a unit.

Born in Heidelberg on 29 March 1895 as the son of a chemist, Ernst Jünger, like many of his contemporaries, went to fight in the war in August 1914 and was awarded the Order of Merit in 1918, the highest Prussian military distinction for bravery in action whose last knight he was. His experience of war became an important experience for him, testing him to the limits. Distance is the term which most aptly describes Jünger's personal stance vis-à-vis the Nazi regime. He turned down the call to the German Academy of Poetry in November 1933 and warned against the dictatorship with his novel "Auf den Marmorklippen" (On the Marble Cliffs) (1939).

This is a somewhat pale summary of the of an individual who in turns was a:

       
Entomologist        
French Foreign Legionnaire        
German Stormtrooper, Wounded 14 Times       
Right Wing Polemicist        
Acid Dropper        
Espouser of Post-Modernist Philosphy        
Outliver of All His Many Critics



Jünger in WWII

For a fuller appreciation of this controversial figure visit the website Ernst Jünger in Hyperspace. Or better yet, read his war classics: Storm of Steel and Copse 125. These are hard to find but book dealer Roger Jones of Tipperary Books reports he has several copies of each for sale. Call him in the evening [after 7pm PST] at (510) 235-9019 if you would like to order a copy.

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