The Castle in the Forest
Encyclopedia
The Castle in the Forest is the last novel by writer
Norman Mailer
, published in the year of his death, 2007. It is the story of Adolf Hitler's
childhood as seen through the eyes of Dieter, a demon
sent to put him on his destructive path. The novel explores the idea that Hitler had no Jewish heritage but was the product of incest. It forms a thematic contrast with the writer's immediately previous novel The Gospel According to the Son
(1999), which deals with the early life of Jesus
. It received a good deal of praise, such as a glowing review from Lee Siegel of The New York Times Book Review
, and was the New York Times Bestseller for 2007.
The Castle in the Forest tells the story of the young life of Adolf Hitler, his origins and his immediate family tree, through the eyes of what at first is portrayed as a young SS officer researching Hitler's genealogy at the behest of Heinrich Himmler
, who opens the novel speaking to SS officers about the importance of strong traits that result through incest
. The SS Officer, who initially instructs the reader to remember him as Dieter, reminds the reader of the penalty he would suffer from the Nazi Party should his writings become public knowledge. He proceeds to describe his search for Hitler's grandparents, to both detect any presence of Jewish ancestry and to ascertain whether Hitler was the product of incest. The story follows Hitler's father, Alois Hitler
, his upbringing in a rural area of Austria
, and his early marriages and work for the customs department of the Austrian government. Following two marriages and a number of affairs, Alois marries a distant relative, Klara
, and the couple have three children who survive past childhood, the third of these being Hitler, who is referred to by Mailer as Adi.
At this point, Dieter reveals himself to be an employee of Satan
, instructed by his superiors to oversee the development of Hitler for possible use by the devil in the future. Dieter states that he had occupied the body of an SS officer when he chose to write his story, maintaining that, should Satan trace the work back to Dieter himself, he would be punished. Dieter follows Hitler through Austria, charting his development and taking a more active role as Hitler discovers wargames around the age of five, and witnesses the beating of the family dog which has a profound effect on him. At this point, Alois retires and the family move to a rural farm.
called it a "blackly hilarious, beautifully written book" while Entertainment Weekly
wrote that it was "terrifically creepy... an icy and convincing portrait of the dictator as a young sociopath". The Boston Globe
wrote that the novel was "saturated with a very material sense of evil: The moods, textures, auras and above all the smells that announce the entrance of the Devil into earthly affairs."
.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
, published in the year of his death, 2007. It is the story of Adolf Hitler's
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
childhood as seen through the eyes of Dieter, a demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
sent to put him on his destructive path. The novel explores the idea that Hitler had no Jewish heritage but was the product of incest. It forms a thematic contrast with the writer's immediately previous novel The Gospel According to the Son
The Gospel According to the Son
The Gospel According to the Son is a 1997 novel by Norman Mailer. It purports to be the story of Jesus Christ, told autobiographically.-Plot summary:...
(1999), which deals with the early life of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. It received a good deal of praise, such as a glowing review from Lee Siegel of The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, and was the New York Times Bestseller for 2007.
Structure
The novel is divided into 14 books, organized initially into a summary of the findings of the SS officer tasked with investigating Hitler's ancestry, and developing into a chart of Hitler's young life. It begins with a portrait of his father and mother, followed by a book on the narrator, and then follows Hitler's life before ending with an epilogue entitled the Castle in the Forest where the narrator is interviewed by a US Army psychiatrist at the end of the war. The 14 books are as follows:- The Search for Hitler's Grandfather
- Adolf's Father
- Adolf's Mother
- The Intelligence Officer
- The Family
- The Farm
- Der Alte and the Bees
- The Coronation of Nicholas II
- Alois Junior
- To Honor and to Fear
- The Abbot and the Blacksmith
- Edmund, Alois and Adolf
- Alois and Adolf
- Adolf and Klara
- The Castle in the Forest
Plot summary
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, who opens the novel speaking to SS officers about the importance of strong traits that result through incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
. The SS Officer, who initially instructs the reader to remember him as Dieter, reminds the reader of the penalty he would suffer from the Nazi Party should his writings become public knowledge. He proceeds to describe his search for Hitler's grandparents, to both detect any presence of Jewish ancestry and to ascertain whether Hitler was the product of incest. The story follows Hitler's father, Alois Hitler
Alois Hitler
Alois Hitler was an Austrian civil servant who was the father of Adolf Hitler.-Early life:...
, his upbringing in a rural area of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and his early marriages and work for the customs department of the Austrian government. Following two marriages and a number of affairs, Alois marries a distant relative, Klara
Klara Hitler
Klara Hitler née Pölzl was an Austrian woman, the wife of Alois Hitler and the mother of Adolf Hitler.-Family background and marriage:...
, and the couple have three children who survive past childhood, the third of these being Hitler, who is referred to by Mailer as Adi.
At this point, Dieter reveals himself to be an employee of Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, instructed by his superiors to oversee the development of Hitler for possible use by the devil in the future. Dieter states that he had occupied the body of an SS officer when he chose to write his story, maintaining that, should Satan trace the work back to Dieter himself, he would be punished. Dieter follows Hitler through Austria, charting his development and taking a more active role as Hitler discovers wargames around the age of five, and witnesses the beating of the family dog which has a profound effect on him. At this point, Alois retires and the family move to a rural farm.
Reception
Reaction to the book was generally positive. The New York ObserverNew York Observer
The New York Observer is a weekly newspaper first published in New York City on September 22, 1987, by Arthur L. Carter, a very successful former investment banker with publishing interests. The Observer focuses on the city's culture, real estate, the media, politics and the entertainment and...
called it a "blackly hilarious, beautifully written book" while Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote that it was "terrifically creepy... an icy and convincing portrait of the dictator as a young sociopath". The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
wrote that the novel was "saturated with a very material sense of evil: The moods, textures, auras and above all the smells that announce the entrance of the Devil into earthly affairs."
Awards and nominations
The book was the New York Times Bestseller for 2007, and won the 2007 Bad Sex in Fiction Award from the London literary journal Literary ReviewLiterary Review
Literary Review is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at Edinburgh University. Its offices are currently on Lexington Street in Soho, London, and it has a circulation of 44,750. Britain's principal literary monthly, the magazine was...
.
External links
- National Public Radio interview with Norman Mailer
- Charlie Rose interview with Norman Mailer (excerpt 2:30 min.)
- Castle in the Forest Reviews at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- New York Times review
- USA Today - excerpts