Emigracyjny kabaret polityczny „Die Pfeffermühle” Eryki Mann (1933-1937)
Erika Mann’s Émigré Political Cabaret ‘‘Die Pfeffermühle’’ (1933-1937)

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the history of a cabaret called ‘‘Die Pfeffermühle’’ (‘‘The Pepper Mill’’) – one of the most successful cultural initiatives of the German emigration following Hitler’s rise to power. The team inaugurated its activity on January 1, 1933 and after performing in Munich for two months resumed its production in Zurich on September 30, 1933. The inventor of the undertaking – author, writer and journalist Erika Mann – made it her goal to discredit the ideology and reality of the Third Reich. By drawing upon to the tradition of political cabaret in the times of the empire and the Weimar Republic, she turned the stage into an efficient tool of criticism of National Socialism. ‘‘Die Pfeffermühle’’ functioned for four years giving shows in Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. It owed its popularity and successes both to high artistic standards and clarity of the presented programme. Much of the credit in this respect goes to Erika Mann herself – the originator, manager and author of most of the cabaret’s texts.

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