In the post-war years, almost all German writers who had lived through the Nazi-war period were by definition suspicious, a suspicion which was prolonged into the next generations, leading even to the confusion between the Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse and the war criminal Rudolf Hess, among some Dutch people. The simple fact that German writers, born, sometimes many years before the war, often had no choice, seemed irrelevant. Not everyone could or would flee from Germany. Thus, the German writer Ernst Jünger, who served in the Wehrmacht and was stationed in occupied Paris, was long considered a German author to be shunned.

Therefore, short biographies such as these, written by Yves de Smet were valuable to provide much needed background information about authors. Published in the series "Ontmoetingen. Literaire monografieen" Ernst Jünger appeared as volume 44, together with biographies of numerous other authors of all possible nationalities, not merely focusing on Germany.

One might wonder whether in the time of the Internet, such publications of barely 57 pages would still be worthwhile. The answer would probably be yes. Free multiple-author Internet publications may never become as authoritative as a biography written by a single, expert author, verified and published by a renowned publisher. While a lot of information is available on the Internet in English, less is available in Dutch.

On the other hand, the style and focus of such minor publications, --this volume appeared in 1963 -- may be dated, and new insights can only be included in more recent publications.

However, this volume offers an extensive biography followed by an annotated bibliography of Ernst Jünger's work. ( )