This novel is a ‘must read’ for anyone who seeks to understand how and why Adolf Hitler came to power. It is the first English translation of the novel written in 1934-5 and first published in German in 1937. It covers the events of the Weimar Republic from the end of the First World War to Hitler’s appointment as Reichskanzler in 1933 - all viewed from the point of view of a Munich civil servant who retires to the countryside and ‘does not concern himself with politics’. Oskar Maria Graf provides a uniquely satirical insight into the mindset of the German middle classes. The eponymous antihero does not welcome Hitler, but does nothing to oppose the Nazis either, while his wife, Malwine, actively welcomes and propagandises for the ‘national’ movement. Anton Sittinger’s drinking pals likewise cover the broad spectrum of attitudes from the local busybody, a Catholic businessman who supports the mainstream bourgeois parties but eventually capitulates, to the enthusiastic and active support of Captain Schlicht, leader of the district SA. Only the Marxist painter Koestler offers resistance, attempting to rally villagers against Nazi terror, ultimately without success. The Nazi takeover is seen not so much as a coup or ‘seizure of power’, as had been attempted in 1923, but rather a ‘creeping to power’ made possible, and even welcomed, by the ruling class, which had grown impatient with ‘democratic’ politicians’ failure to quash unrest.There are thousands upon thousands of Anton Sittingers in every country… also today. Despite its historical setting, the atmosphere may seem all too familiar to the contemporary reader.