wiedler.ch

book (design) story #301

friedrich wolf:
cyankali – § 218

das neue drama / band 1; internationaler arbeiter-verlag, berlin/wien/zürich, 1929
printer: peuwag, abt. friedrichstadt-druckerei, berlin
size: 19 x 13 cm
designer: max keilson (cover)

friedrich wolf (1888-1953), born in munich with a jewish background, was a doctor and writer who joined the german communist party in 1928. his drama "cyankali" is about – or rather: against – §218 of the german criminal code which prohibited abortion. the piece provoked a scandal and wolf was even arrested for some time. after the nazis came to power wolf emigrated to moscow. later he lived in the ddr (gdr), and for some time he was ambadssador in poland. friedrich wolf had two prominent sons with rather different careers in the ddr: konrad, the filmmaker, and markus, the stasi boss.

the yellowish cover featuring a stage photograph is dredited to "keilson" in the impressum. max keilson (1900-1953) was responsible for numerous impressive graphic designs for communist publishers.

at the top the name of the book series "das neue drama" (the new drama) is printed in akzidenz-grotesk across the repeated, typewritten slogan "kunst ist waffe" (art is weapon) – the title of a 1928 manifesto by friedrich wolf. note the crude, blocky capitals for the title "cyankali".

the logo on the rear cover showing a spread-legged man holding a banner is similar to other emblems of (leftist) publishers – e.g. the "die schmiede".