by Hans Peter Richter

Born April 28, 1925, in Cologne, Germany, Hans Peter Richter's had a childhood that coincided with the rise to power of the Nazi Party throughout Germany. As he grew up, Richter saw firsthand the mounting brutality and degradations heaped upon Jews as well as German citizens who were sympathetic to the Jews' plight. The Nazis' anti-Jewish campaign, organized by Adolf Hitler, would be responsible for the systematic murder of close to 6 million European Jews before the end of World War II. Richter served in the German Army during the war. Afterward he worked as a psychologist and broadcaster in addition to being a prolific writer of fiction, nonfiction, and radio and television scripts. The original German edition of Friedrich was published in 1961 as Damals war es Friedrich, with the English translation appearing in 1970.

Events in History at the Time the Novel Takes Place

The Nazi scapegoat...