Editing Erich Kästner (section)

===Leipzig (1919&ndash;1927)===

In the autumn of 1919, Kästner enrolled at the [[University of Leipzig]] to study history, philosophy, German studies, and theater. His studies took him to [[Rostock]] and Berlin, and in 1925 he received a doctorate for a thesis on [[Frederick the Great]] and German literature. He paid for his studies by working as a journalist and critic for a newspaper, the ''Neue Leipziger Zeitung''. However, his increasingly critical reviews, and the "frivolous" publication of his erotic poem "Abendlied des Kammervirtuosen" (Evening Song of the Chamber Virtuoso) with illustrations by [[E. O. Plauen|Erich Ohser]], led to his dismissal in 1927. That same year, he moved to Berlin, although he continued to write for the ''Neue Leipziger Zeitung'' under the pseudonym "Berthold Bürger" ("Bert Citizen") as a freelance correspondent. Kästner later used several other pseudonyms, including "Melchior Kurtz", "Peter Flint", and "Robert Neuner".