The Entire Goebbels Diaries in English?

[rosstcorbett]

Hi everybody,

I personally find Goebbels diaries absolutely fascinating.

I was wondering if anybody knows if there are plans afoot to actually publish all of them in English? Currently there are only a few years published in English but of course his diaries date back to the mid 20s.

[Richard Hargreaves]

Highly, highly unlikely. I have a complete set of his Diktate, July 1941-end of the war. Only the merest snippets have been translated into English.

Each of the 15 volumes covers three months (apart from the last one, which deals with 1945) and runs to anywhere between 500 and 800 pages. It would be a mammoth task to translate.

I would never say it won't happen, but I can't really see anyone beyond an academic publisher tackling it - and the cost would be frightening.

[Schnitzel]

David Irving has written extensively on Goebbels.
His book on Goebbels is a free download and is based on the diaries..
Be advised though...David Irving has a dubious reputation in historic circles after having lost a Holocaust Denial court case against a Professor Lipstat.
Here is the link to his Goebbels information.
http://www.fpp.co.uk/bookchapters/JG/index.html

[Marcus]

Please don't turn this thread into a discussion on Irving, continue the discussion about his books in the long running thread at http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 9&t=179837

/Marcus

[cambri]

Few if any English language publisher would like to be associated with such a project on a large-scale.

Still it would be a valuable historical contribution to the period to have these volumes in English. At the least they could be abridged. Perhaps one day we might see something....we should...one of the most importance sources on the Third Reich....

[Helly Angel]

...I have a complete set of his Diktate, July 1941-end of the war. Only the merest snippets have been translated into English.

Each of the 15 volumes covers three months (apart from the last one, which deals with 1945) .....

Richard, which date is the last entry of 1945, please?

TIA

[Richard Hargreaves]

April 10 1945

[British Sapper]

AFAIK and as stated earlier, Irving is the only 'historian' that has translated the Goebbels diaries.

[rosstcorbett]

Does anybody know who owns the copyrights to the Goebbels Diaries?

[rosstcorbett]

AFAIK and as stated earlier, Irving is the only 'historian' that has translated the Goebbels diaries.

Irving has only published tiny snippets, they are currently under copyright until 2015.

The diaries have been published in full in German and French and are available online via De Gruyter.

There is little doubt that when the copyright runs out in 2015 that an English publisher will go ahead and publish the entire 29 volumes from 1923 to 1945. In fact, I recently spoke to a very well known Historian who believes the translation is already under way.

Personally, I cannot wait to read them in full

[Shc]

I've read the diaries 1939-1941; 1942-1943; 1945.
It is fascinating but it does get a tad' boring sometimes imo.

But I, too, hope the full 29 volumes be translated.

[rosstcorbett]

I agree.

Up until 1942 Goebbels wrote the diary himself. I find these diaries the most interesting as they were private so he spoke frankly about all topics.

But then in 1942 he decided to dictate his diaries and because they were no longer private the nature of the diaries changed and he was clearly much more careful about what he said which makes the diaries rather boring compared to the earlier entries.

[MLW]

Not all of Goebbel's diaries are under copyright. There are copies of portions of his diary at NARA which puts them in the public domain. I know of three main references to his diary at NARA. All are hard copy:

An English translation of a diary kept by Joseph Goebbels from August 12, 1925 - October 16, 1926.

Two volumes of photostatic copies of fragments covering various dates in August 1941 and from May 25, 1942 to June 6, 1942. The records are in German.

A copy of the diary covering the period from January 21, 1942 to December 9, 1943. The diary is in German.

There might be more in the captured German records collection on microfilm.

Regards,
Marc

[rosstcorbett]

Hi Marc,

In 1992 the entire Goebbels Diaries were found on microfilm in the Russian archives.

The diaries are available in small segments to read but they are indeed under copyright until May 2015. Only then will they be released into the public domain. Until then, if you wish to publish them you have to pay.

Ross

[polacks_on_the_moon]

Few if any English language publisher would like to be associated with such a project on a large-scale.

Hmm... seriously? But why? Due to acussations of spreading nazi ideology or something like that? I've seen Goebbels' diares in Poland in the book shops and I think our laws concerning propagating totalitarism are quite similar to those in other european countries...