Hitler - Beyond Evil and Tyranny
In the guise of a scholarly screed, former Marine Corps Reserve Stolfi (German Panzers on the Offensive
Russian Front, 2003, etc.) makes an incredible—and entirely failed—attempt to rehabilitate the most reviled figure of modern history. The author strongly objects to the universal “denigration” of
Adolf Hitler. Across nearly 500 pages, he decries the “antipathy” against his hero, mistaking amoral charisma for
integrity.
Hitler, writes the author, was a man of towering achievement, a messiah for the German people, an intense,
idealistic mastermind. To Stolfi, the young Wagnerian hero of World War I who boasted a firm handshake and direct eye contact was a sensitive Bohemian artist and opera lover. Against all
evidence, the author also proclaims him a wonderful painter and superb architect.
Hitler pronounced himself the savior of Europe from the threat of Marxism, and the murder of millions of Jews was
simply political necessity. Readers should understand that Stolfi’s book is not a biography but a preposterous hagiography employing selective fact supported by quotes from a few Nazis and a lot
from the Führer’s own Mein Kampf.
It is also a jealous, sarcastic discourse against the “conventional wisdom” of the “great-biographers” (unlike Stolfi, these include reliable authors such as Toland, Fest, Kershaw, etc.). The
book ends before the end of the Third Reich. Ultimately, despite the author’s effort to spin the malign corruption—especially offensive while it is still in living memory—there remains nothing
beyond the evil and tyranny that his subtitle promises. A repellent text, as deranged as its subject.
Pub Date : 25/10/2011
ISBN : 978-1-61614-474-6
Page count : 476pp
Publisher : Prometheus Books
Review Posted Online : Sept. 18th, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue : Oct. 1st, 2011
Author : R.H.S. Stolfi