For Love and for Sorrow

When Magnus Hirschfeld established his institute in Tiergarten, Berlin, in 1919, the future seemed to belong to the young discipline of sexology. Patients and visitors from all over the world were attracted by the extensive library, the diverse collections, the counselling and therapy services. People from all walks of life were able to obtain information about contraception or how to protect themselves against venereal diseases. But for a long time it would remain the only institution with the purpose of dealing with the topic of sexuality in its entirety. Hirschfeld and his staff were exposed to constant hostility from political and scientific opponents, which culminated in the National Socialists’ looting the institute and subsequently shutting it down in 1933.

In For Love and for Sorrow, Rainer Herrn tells the eventful history of this famous institution for the first time. He introduces the protagonists who shaped it, describes the struggles for the abolition of Paragraph 175, which criminalised homosexuality, follows the fates of the people who sought help at the institute and brings the spirit of the Weimar Republic to life along the way.

»Rainer Herrn succeeds brilliantly not only in [...] illuminating broader contexts, but also in outlining Hirschfeld’s contribution to sexual science.« Alexander Gallus, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

»Rainer Herrn’s great expertise that is evident in For Love and for Sorrow is impressive; he describes the complex web of antagonists in an unagitated, objective manner, shows the limits of Hirschfeld’s position […] and yet remains empathetic towards him.« Andrea Roeding, Deutschlandfunk Kultur

»For Love and for Sorrow can only be praised. Rainer Herrn has presented a truly detailed document. It is an important historical study of an important institution in the history of science and sexuality. The whole thing is presented in a language and form that is a pleasure to read.« Sebastian Galyga, queer.de