Author Description

As a left-wing Catholic publicist and intellectual, Walter Dirks (1901-1991) was a precise observer and sharp-tongued commentator who acted beyond the lines of ideology, political and religious beliefs in Germany. All his life he characterized himself as both a devout Catholic and a staunch socialist. Whether as the founder of the Frankfurter Hefte or head of the WDR cultural department or as a young man before 1933, Dirks, as a public intellectual, was eloquently involved in social debates. His commitment to peace, socialism and church reforms overcame national borders, and he made a name for himself as a passionate advocate of European understanding. The volume places Dirks in the intellectual field of the various political regimes of his life.--Publisher information.