Author of the Month
The History of Waldorf Education Worldwide: 1919 - 1945, and The History of Waldorf Education Worldwide: 1945 – 2019, by Nana Goebel, are books well beyond the common pale. They are a depiction of unparalleled human endeavor and vision to make a world we dream might be possible.
Nana Goebel, the book’s author, is much more than an author. She is more like a mighty angel hovering over the Waldorf movement with attention and care. Nana is a Waldorf graduate whose parents were Waldorf teachers. Since her early adult years, she has dedicated herself to helping Waldorf communities around the world put down roots and thrive. She has a memory to surpass the mere mortal, and she has met in her lifetime thousands of heroes of the quiet revolution of Waldorf education.
Nana Goebel founded the Freunde der Erziehungskunst (Friends of Waldorf Education) in Berlin, Germany, to help Waldorf schools. Since its founding in 1971, it has supported over 830 Waldorf educational institutions and raised more than 121 million euros to extend the impact of Waldorf education internationally. At the heart of all these accomplishments is Nana Goebel!
It has been the distinct privilege of Waldorf Publications to oversee the translation of her comprehensive history of the Waldorf movement worldwide. This history was commissioned by the International Forum for Steiner/Waldorf Education as an essential element in the grand celebration of 100 years of Waldorf education since its beginning in Stuttgart in 2019. The title in German is Die Geschichte der Waldorfpädagogik und ihrer Menschen (The History of Waldorf Education and Its People), and it is an appropriate title because it is people — human aspirations, courage, and commitment — that make a Waldorf school. Nana’s keen memory recalls all whom she has met on her travels and helped to form Waldorf schools everywhere.
Jan Kees Saltet was the translator who transformed Nana’s compelling texts into English. With a sense of Nana’s poetic words and a keen understanding of Waldorf education, Saltet has made the reading smooth and, at times, riveting. Though there are three volumes in German, there are just two in English. This two-volume version of the English books was based on the knowledge that Americans would be happier with two than with three volumes. Nana responded by rewriting volumes 2 and 3 into a single book. Nana combined the two final volumes into a remarkable, seamless retelling. Jan Kees at her heels, he, in turn, translated the new creation into beautiful English.
The worry that such a work could be construed as an encyclopedia about Waldorf education, and as an encyclopedia, is a tad boring. But NO! This is quite the opposite experience on taking up the reading of these two, action-packed volumes! The books read like novels, with arresting descriptions and protagonists beyond the ordinary. The stories are filled with love and despair, hope and defeat, leadership and betrayal—enough to rival a romantic novel!
What a gift Nana gave in the writing of these volumes! The indomitable human spirit is not depicted anywhere else as clearly and profoundly as in these two volumes. The books are chock-full of illustrations — photos of the people, the beautiful schools handcrafted by those who made them, and the children and youngsters who benefited from them.
And what a gift these books will be for Waldorf teachers, Waldorf parents, education buffs, and anyone who has ever raised an eyebrow at the uniqueness of the stories of an education so revolutionary that one must see it to understand!
There is no more perfect gift to give in gift-giving season!
