The Young Hitler I Knew: The Memoirs of Hitler's Childhood Friend

Front Cover
Frontline Books, May 31, 2011 - History - 272 pages
August Kubizek met Adolf Hitler in 1904 while they were both competing for standing room at the opera. Their mutual passion for music created a strong bond, and over the next four years they became close friends. Kubizek describes a reticent young man, painfully shy, yet capable of bursting into hysterical fits of anger if anyone disagreed with him. The two boys would often talk for hours on end; Hitler found Kubizek to be a very good listener, a worthy confidant to his hopes and dreams. In 1908 Kubizek moved to Vienna and shared a room with Hitler at 29 Stumpergasse. During this time, Hitler tried to get into art school, but he was unsuccessful. With his money fast running out, he found himself sinking to the lower depths of the city: an unkind world of isolation and constant unappeasable hunger . Hitler moved out of the flat in November, without leaving a forwarding address; Kubizek did not meet his friend again until 1938. The Young Hitler I Knew tells the story of an extraordinary friendship, and gives fascinating insight into Hitler s character during these formative years. This is the first edition to be published in English since 1955 and it corrects many changes made for reasons of political correctness. It also includes important sections which were excised from the original English translation.
 

Contents

List of Illustrations
8
Introduction by Ian Kershaw
9
Original Publishers Foreword
19
Authors Introduction My Decision and Justification
21
Chapter 1 First Meeting
23
Chapter 2 Growth of a Friendship
29
Chapter 3 Portrait of the Young Hitler
36
Chapter 4 Portrait of His Mother
44
Chapter 13 His Mothers Death
132
Chapter 14 Come with Me Gustl
141
Chapter 15 No 29 Stumpergasse
150
Chapter 16 Adolf Rebuilds Vienna
162
Chapter 17 Solitary Reading and Study
174
Chapter 18 Nights at the Opera
183
Chapter 19 Adolf Writes an Opera
189
Chapter 20 The Mobile ReichsOrchestra
196

Chapter 5 Portrait of His Father
51
Chapter 6 Adolfs Schooldays
58
Chapter 7 Stefanie
66
Chapter 8 Enthusiasm for Richard Wagner
76
Chapter 9 Hitler the Young Volksdeutscher
87
Chapter 10 Adolf Rebuilds Linz
96
Chapter 11 In That Hour It Began
116
Chapter 12 Adolf Leaves for Vienna
120
Chapter 21 Unmilitary Interlude
204
Chapter 22 Adolfs Attitude to Sex
212
Chapter 23 Political Awakening
222
Chapter 24 The Lost Friendship
232
Chapter 25 My Subsequent Life and Reunion with My Friend
243
Index
261
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