Moderne katholische Sozialkritik in Heinrich Federers Publizistik und Prosa

Modern Catholic social criticism in Heinrich Federer’s publications and prose Heinrich Federer (1866–1928) was one of the most popular German-speaking writers of the pre- and interwar period who fell into oblivion for a half-century as a result of unfortunate policy and propaganda broadcast by publishing houses that pigeonholed his works as both Catholic-mission-like, and provincial regionalist literature (blood-and-soil literature). The breakthrough in reception of his works was achieved in the beginning of the 1980s due to Charles Linsmayer’s publication of anthology of Federer’s texts, which revealed his modern and broad-minded mode of thinking with regard to social issues. Based on selected examples, this article develops and explores the aforementioned hypothesis, indicating a social-critical aspect in Federer’s literary and journalistic work. Following the outline of the autobiographic and historical background, the object of analysis are Federer’s emphasis on social criticism and the postulate of the so-called third way of seeking a solution between capitalism and communism – social market economy, which demonstrate numerous features common with the contemporary Catholic social teaching (Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum, Pius XI’s Quadragesimo anno, Francis’s Sozialenzyklika im Kleinen, Evangelii Gaudium). Therefore, they portray the Swiss writer as a modern social reformer, and his works as a literary presentation of progressive social reforms.