Anna Seghers(1900-1983)
- Writer
Seghers grew up in a wealthy Jewish home. From 1919 she studied art history, philosophy, history and sinology in Cologne and Heidelberg. In 1924 she completed her studies with the doctoral thesis "Jews and Judaism in the Works of Rembrandt". In the same year she wrote her first story entitled "The Dead of the Island of Djal", which was only published after her death (1985). In 1925 she married the Hungarian social scientist Lásló Radványi, with whom she had two children. In 1927 she first published a story called "Grubetsch". The work appeared in the Frankfurter Zeitung and was marked with Segher's name.
Since then she has published all of her works under this pseudonym; Behind the name lies a contemporary of the painter Rembrandt. In 1928 the story "Uprising of the Fishermen of St. Barbara" was published, for which she was awarded the Kleist Prize. The German theater manager and director Erwin Piscator adapted the play into a film in the Soviet Union in 1934. In the same year, Anna Seghers became a member of the KPD, the German Communist Party. The following year, 1929, she joined the "Association of Proletarian-Revolutionary Writers" (BPRS). Her novel "The Companions" was published in 1932, in which she warned about the dangers of the emerging fascist rule. After the National Socialists came to power in 1933, Seghers was briefly arrested. She then emigrated to France.
There she supported anti-fascist organizations and magazines. Her first exile novel was written in 1933, entitled "The Head Wage," in which she traces the causes of National Socialism. Two years later the novel "The Road Through February" was published. In the years 1938 and 1939 she maintained correspondence with the philosopher Georg Lukács. In the year that German troops invaded France, Anna Seghers withdrew from Paris to unoccupied Marseille. In 1941 she left for Mexico. There she founded the Heinrich Heine Club, which was a German literary and cultural institution that pursued anti-fascist goals under her leadership. The novel "The Seventh Cross" was published in 1942. The work established her international reputation as a writer who defended herself against fascism.
The original was filmed in 1944 by the American director Fred Zinnemann with Spencer Tracy. The novel was first published in English and then published in German by a Mexican exile publisher. "The Seventh Cross" sensitively tells the story of the escape of seven prisoners from a concentration camp in Rhine-Hesse and everyday life in the Third Reich. Seghers used cinematic design tools that realized the narrative structure in a complex way. In 1944 the novel "Transit" was published. It appeared first in Spanish and then in English, and in German it came out in 1948. Seghers had already started the work in France. It describes the author's personal experiences and fears in exile, which she connects with the theme of loss and preservation of identity. The successful book is one of the most important works about the fears in exile.
In 1947 Anna Seghers returned to Europe and initially settled in West Berlin. She joined the SED, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. In the same year she was honored with the Georg Büchner Prize, Germany's most prestigious literary award, for her novel "The Seventh Cross". Anna Seghers was committed to reconstruction in Germany. In 1948 she became vice president of the "Culture Association for the Democratic Renewal of Germany". The following year her social novel "The Dead Stay Young" was published. The work was made into a film in 1968. In 1950, Anna Seghers moved to East Berlin. She became a co-founder of the peace movement in the GDR and joined the presidium of the World Peace Council. In the same year she was one of the co-founders of the German Academy of Arts.
In 1951 she was awarded the GDR's first national prize. A trip to China followed. Anna Seghers was a co-founder of the GDR Writers' Association and headed it from 1952 to 1978. Hermann Kant later became her successor. In 1957 the novella "The Just Judge" was completed. For political reasons, the work was not published until 1990. The University of Jena awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1959. Anna Seghers dealt with the time of Mexican exile again in the story "The Real Blue," which was published in 1967. One of her important late works is the title "The Crossing", a love story that came onto the market in 1971. In 1981 she was made an honorary citizen of Mainz.
Since then she has published all of her works under this pseudonym; Behind the name lies a contemporary of the painter Rembrandt. In 1928 the story "Uprising of the Fishermen of St. Barbara" was published, for which she was awarded the Kleist Prize. The German theater manager and director Erwin Piscator adapted the play into a film in the Soviet Union in 1934. In the same year, Anna Seghers became a member of the KPD, the German Communist Party. The following year, 1929, she joined the "Association of Proletarian-Revolutionary Writers" (BPRS). Her novel "The Companions" was published in 1932, in which she warned about the dangers of the emerging fascist rule. After the National Socialists came to power in 1933, Seghers was briefly arrested. She then emigrated to France.
There she supported anti-fascist organizations and magazines. Her first exile novel was written in 1933, entitled "The Head Wage," in which she traces the causes of National Socialism. Two years later the novel "The Road Through February" was published. In the years 1938 and 1939 she maintained correspondence with the philosopher Georg Lukács. In the year that German troops invaded France, Anna Seghers withdrew from Paris to unoccupied Marseille. In 1941 she left for Mexico. There she founded the Heinrich Heine Club, which was a German literary and cultural institution that pursued anti-fascist goals under her leadership. The novel "The Seventh Cross" was published in 1942. The work established her international reputation as a writer who defended herself against fascism.
The original was filmed in 1944 by the American director Fred Zinnemann with Spencer Tracy. The novel was first published in English and then published in German by a Mexican exile publisher. "The Seventh Cross" sensitively tells the story of the escape of seven prisoners from a concentration camp in Rhine-Hesse and everyday life in the Third Reich. Seghers used cinematic design tools that realized the narrative structure in a complex way. In 1944 the novel "Transit" was published. It appeared first in Spanish and then in English, and in German it came out in 1948. Seghers had already started the work in France. It describes the author's personal experiences and fears in exile, which she connects with the theme of loss and preservation of identity. The successful book is one of the most important works about the fears in exile.
In 1947 Anna Seghers returned to Europe and initially settled in West Berlin. She joined the SED, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. In the same year she was honored with the Georg Büchner Prize, Germany's most prestigious literary award, for her novel "The Seventh Cross". Anna Seghers was committed to reconstruction in Germany. In 1948 she became vice president of the "Culture Association for the Democratic Renewal of Germany". The following year her social novel "The Dead Stay Young" was published. The work was made into a film in 1968. In 1950, Anna Seghers moved to East Berlin. She became a co-founder of the peace movement in the GDR and joined the presidium of the World Peace Council. In the same year she was one of the co-founders of the German Academy of Arts.
In 1951 she was awarded the GDR's first national prize. A trip to China followed. Anna Seghers was a co-founder of the GDR Writers' Association and headed it from 1952 to 1978. Hermann Kant later became her successor. In 1957 the novella "The Just Judge" was completed. For political reasons, the work was not published until 1990. The University of Jena awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1959. Anna Seghers dealt with the time of Mexican exile again in the story "The Real Blue," which was published in 1967. One of her important late works is the title "The Crossing", a love story that came onto the market in 1971. In 1981 she was made an honorary citizen of Mainz.
