Fiction from Tegel Prison: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 7 Annotated Edition
Author(s): Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Author), Clifford J. Green (Author), Nancy Lukens (Author)
Publisher: Fortress Press
Publication Date: 18 Nov. 1999
Edition: Annotated
Language: English
Print length: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 9780800683078
ISBN-13: 0800683072
Book Description
Writing fiction, letters to his family, fiance, and friends and contending with his interrogator occupied Bonhoeffer during his first year in Tegel Prison. Of the incomplete drama, the novel fragment, and the short story, Bonhoeffer admitted to his friend and later biographer, Eberhard Bethge, “There is a good deal of autobiography mixed with it.” This book discloses a great deal of Bonhoeffer’s family context, social world, and cultural milieu. Events from his life are recounted in a way that embodies and illuminates his theology. Characters and situations that represent Nazi types and attitudes are a form of social criticism and help to explain Bonhoeffer’s participation in the resistance movement and the plot to kill Adolf Hitler, for which he was hanged.This important volume, now in paperback, is complete and authoritative and contains much material not found in the previous edition. The German edition of this volume was edited by Bonhoeffer’s niece, Renate Bethgewho brings personal knowledge of the Bonhoeffer family to her observationsand Ilse Tdt, who contributed much of the commentary. The English edition is edited by Clifford Green, who also edited the earlier version of the book, titled Fiction from Prison.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the most significant Protestant theologians of the twentieth century, a legacy sealed by his imprisonment in a German concentration camp and eventual execution. His resistance against Nazism and pivotal role in the Confessing Church movement have been key points of illumination for many on the nature of Christian political witness and action. Millions have been inspired by his rich reflections on the Christian life, especially his beloved works on discipleship and ethics. As a professor, seminary leader, and ecumenical theologian, Bonhoeffer’s work also profoundly shaped academic theology, especially systematic theology, and the life of the church.