Hans Hellmut Kirst
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Hans Hellmut Kirst (December 5, 1914 - February 13, 1989) was a distinguished German author from Osterode, East Prussia.
Kirst wrote many books which have been translated into English. He is best known for Die Nacht der Generale: Roman, which was translated as The Night of the Generals. The book was made into successful 1967 film of the same name.
Kirst, a World War II veteran, wrote other novels about the corruption of Germany and its armed forces by Nazism. Kirst's series of Gunner Asch books follows the career of a soldier from before World War II, to the Eastern Front, and finally to post-war Germany. They were published in English as:
- The Revolt of Gunner Asch [1955]
- Forward, Gunner Asch! [1956] (Also Published as Gunner Asch Goes to War)
- The Return of Gunner Asch [1957]
- What Became of Gunner Asch [1964]
At the end of the war, Asch was a lieutenant as Kirst was.
Die letzte Karte spielt der Tod is a fictional account of the life of Soviet spy Richard Sorge. That book was published in English as The Last Card and Death Plays the Last Card.
Kirst also wrote a series of detective novels set in Munich in the 1960s. Those books were published in English translations as Damned to Success (and also as A Time for Scandal), A Time for Truth, and Everything has a Price.
Other major novels by Kirst set during World War II include "The Castle", "Officer Factory", "Camp Seven Next Stop," and "The Fox of Maulen" (subsequently re-named "The Wolves"). All of these novels were superbly translated by J M Brownjohn and show Kirst's unique blend of deadpan humour and devastating satire.
