Erich Kästner, one of the most popular German writers of the twentieth century, was a man of varied literary talents appealing to diverse audiences; he wrote poetry, novels, children's books, essays, chansons, plays, and film scripts. As a rationalist and móralist he saw himself in the tradition of the Enlightenment--averse to spurious "depth" but "devoted to three inalienable demands": genuineness of feeling, clarity of thought, and simplicity of expression. His language, the so-called Kästner tone, ranges from aggressive satire and provocative casual understatement to epigrammatic wit, ironic melancholy, and lighthearted humor. Having lived through two world wars, Kästner, a keen observer of human nature, was both a strongly autobiographical writer and a critical chronicler of his time, from the late Wilhelminian empire through the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich to the postwar Federal Republic. His wide international fame rests...