Freedom Calling: The Story of the Secret German Radio (1940) By Jurgen Kuczynski
 
Freedom Calling was the first book jacket Heartfield designed in England. Heartfield had recently fled to England shortly before the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia where he lived in exile. The book was published by Frederick Muller Ltd. in 1939. The authorship of it was assigned to “The Representative in Great Britain of the Freedom Station.” In fact, it was written by Jurgen Kuczynski.
 
Allegedly, Freedom Calling was financed by the Free German League of Culture (FGLC). Heartfield and Kuczynski were both members. Initially, FGLC was a non-party, anti-Nazi and anti-Fascist refugee organization with the declared aim “to preserve and advance Free German culture and further the mutual understanding between the refugees and the British people.” Among the founders of the FGLC were Fred and Diana Uhlman.
 
Heartfield owed a great deal to the Uhlmans. They took him under their wing after he reached England and let him stay in their Hampstead home rent-free for four years.
Fred Uhlman was a German lawyer and anti-fascist socialist who had escaped Nazi Germany and had become a well-known artist and writer. Heartfield and Uhlman shared the shock and trauma of their world coming apart. But they were also both persecuted by the Nazis for political reasons and their Jewish family background.
 
However, their status was different. Heartfield was a penniless transmigrant. Fred Uhlman’s wife Diana, on the other hand, belonged to one of the oldest aristocratic families in England and was financially independent. Fortunately, she was very generous.
 
The Uhlmans’ were known for helping artists find work whenever they could. Undoubtedly, Heartfield would have been an obvious choice for designing the cover of Freedom Calling. He was famous for his book jackets, especially the ones he had designed for Malik Verlag. But, Heartfield had a temporary visa. This meant he didn’t have a work permit. So, his involvement would have to be arranged discretely.
 
Hidden Clues: Find The Artist
The lack of a work permit might explain why Heartfield didn’t sign this montage and Kuczynski wasn’t named as author. Refugees were also not allowed to be politically active. But, Heartfield was an expert for brainteasers and hidden clues. He simply sneaked his image into the montage. He is the transmitter operator wearing headphones you can spot in the background.
 
Soft Cover
64 pages
In Good Condition