75th anniversary of death of Ludwig Thoma - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1996 - 100 Pfennig

Ludwig Thoma, who was born in Oberammergau in 1867, first became acquainted with his weekly satires in Simplicissimus. His texts with Peter Schlemihl, later also published in book form, against abuse of power and subservient spirit, against Prussian Wilhelmine militarism and bureaucratic philistinism, made a sustained contribution to the success of Simplicissimus, which he led for nearly 20 years. With the comedy »Die Lokalbahn« (1902), a satire »on the political lack of character of our bourgeoisie«, Thoma made a breakthrough on stage. In the peasant novel "Andreas Vöst" (1906) showed Thoma, whose sympathy was always the simple and upright people, whose life, unlike his friend Ganghofer, but not transfigured, but realistic portrayed, as a significant narrator. Ludwig Thoma became popular with the »Lausbubengeschichten« (1905), which draws on his own experience of youth, and the »correspondence of a Bavarian member of parliament« (1909), in which the stupid-smart member of parliament Filser his party, while praising it, as corrupt unmasked. The beginning of the First World War caused Thoma an unexpected national pathos, he was involved as a medical man on the front, with the military defeat, he saw the world familiar to him collapse. Ludwig Thoma died on August 26, 1921. (Text: Dr. Eckart Oehlenschläger, Königswinter)