Der Eigene

Der Eigene ([deːɐ̯ ˈʔaɪ̯ɡənə], lit. 'The Own') was the first gay journal in the world,^[1]^[2]^[3] published from 1896 to 1932 by Adolf Brand in Berlin. Brand contributed many poems and articles; other contributors included writers Benedict Friedlaender, Hanns Heinz Ewers, Erich Mühsam, Kurt Hiller, Ernst Burchard, John Henry Mackay, Theodor Lessing, Klaus Mann, and Thomas Mann, as well as artists Wilhelm von Gloeden, Fidus, and Sascha Schneider. The journal may have had an average of around 1500 subscribers per issue during its run, but the exact numbers are uncertain.

History of the journal

The title of the journal, Der Eigene (no exact English equivalent but has been translated as The Self-Possessed),^[4] refers to the classic anarchist work Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (1844) by Max Stirner. Early issues reflected the philosophy of Stirner, as well as other views on the politics of anarchism. By the second year of its focus, it settled into a focus on homosexuality.^[4] In the 1920s the journal shifted to support the liberal democracy of the Weimar Republic and more specifically the Social Democratic Party. Der Eigene interwove cultural, artistic, and political material, including lyric poetry, prose, political manifesto and nude photography.

The publisher of Der Eigene had to fight against government censorship, particularly in retaliation against its depictions of nude figures.^[4] Brand's home was searched by police officers many times.^[4] He was arrested for the magazine's provocative content in 1903.^[4]

In 1903 a published poem "Die Freundschaft" (Friendship) provoked a lawsuit against the magazine. The magazine won because the poem was written by Friedrich Schiller.^[5]

The formation of the group Gemeinschaft der Eigenen allowed Brand to evade censorship by categorizing Der Eigene as a manuscript issued privately to subscribers rather than as a publicly sold magazine.^[4] The number of subscribers is estimated at 1500 or fewer.^[4]

In 1933, when Adolf Hitler rose to power, Adolf Brand's house was searched and all the materials needed to produce the magazine were seized and given to Ernst Röhm.^[6]

In a major effort in 2020, Humboldt University of Berlin made available the complete set of the magazine on its website,^[7] with censorship in form of pixellation applied to several pages containing artistic photographs and paintings.

Significant Contributors

Gallery

Der Eigene, vol. 1 (1896), no. 1 - ten issues in this format - an anarchist journal with no gay content in this volume
Der Eigene, vol. 2 (1898), no. 1 - two issues in this format - here, the opening page of a gay short story, the journal's first gay text
Der Eigene, "New Series" vol. 1 (= vol. 3, the first entirely gay volume) (1898), no. 1 - ten issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 4 (or "New Series" vol. 2) (1903), no. 1 - six issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 5 (or "New Series" vol. 3) (1905), no. 1 - six issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 6 (1906) - the only hardback issue, an annual
Der Eigene, vol. 7 (1919–20), no. 3 - eleven issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 8 (1920), no. 9 - fourteen issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 9 (1921-22-23), no. 3 - seven issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 10 (1924-25), no. 4 - twelve issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 11 (1926), no. 1 - ten issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 12 (1929), no. 5 - five issues in this format
Der Eigene, vol. 13 (1930–32), no. 1 - nine issues in this format
Original uncensored page 158 from DER EIGENE 6 (1906)
Example of a censored page containing a painting by Léonard Sarluis, from "DER EIGENE" magazine scan hosted on Humboldt University of Berlin website