Anton Schnack (21 July 1892 – 26 September 1973) was a German writer. He joined the
German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
when
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
began. He is one of the leading German
war poet
A war poet is a poet who participates in a war and writes about their experiences, or a non-combatant who writes poems about war. While the term is applied especially to those who served during the First World War, the term can be applied to a p ...
s of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and has been compared with English poet
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced by ...
.
After the war he became an editor for numerous publications. He was one of the 88 writers who pledged their allegiance to
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in October 1933 in a Vow of Most Faithful Allegiance (
Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft
The Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft (variously translated from German to English as "vow of most faithful allegiance", "proclamation of loyalty of German writers" or "promise of most loyal obedience") was a declaration by 88 German writers and poe ...
).
Early life
Schnack was born in
Rieneck
Rieneck () is a town in the Main-Spessart district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany.
Geography
Location
Rieneck lies in the Würzburg region between the southern foothills of the Rhön ...
,
Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia (german: Unterfranken) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia.
History
After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria the state was totally r ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
. He was the third child of a station commander of the German
gendarmerie
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
. His older brother
Friedrich Schnack Friedrich may refer to:
Names
*Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich''
*Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich''
Other
*Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...
(1888–1977) also became a writer, known for his works on natural history and children's literature.
Schack followed his father's official postings around Bavaria, to
Dettelbach
Dettelbach is a town in the district of Kitzingen in the Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Main, 20 km east of Würzburg, and 8 km north of Kitzingen. It includes neighboring villa ...
,
Kronach
Kronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.
Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as ...
and
Hammelburg
Hammelburg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It sits in the district of Bad Kissingen, in Lower Franconia. It lies on the river Franconian Saale, 25 km west of Schweinfurt. Hammelburg is the oldest winegrowing town (''Weinstadt'') in Franconi ...
. He attended the
Progymnasium
''Gymnasium'' (and variations of the word) is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term '' preparatory high school''. Bef ...
in Hammelburg (predecessor of the Frobenius-Gymnasium Hammelburg). He became a journalist, and worked in
Halberstadt
Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...
and
Bolzano
Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...
.
First World War poetry
Schnack served in the
Imperial German Army
The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...
during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He was wounded in 1916. He began to publish poetry in ''
Die Aktion
''Die Aktion'' ("The Action") was a German literary and political magazine, edited by Franz Pfemfert and published between 1911 and 1932 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf; it promoted literary Expressionism and stood for left-wing politics. To begin with, ''D ...
'' in 1915, but only published poetry on war subjects from 1917. His first war poem was "
Schwester Maria" ("Sister Maria"), published in ''Die Aktion'' in January 1917.
He continued to publish war poems in three collections that he published in 1919, ''Strophen der Gier'' ("Verses of greed"), ''Der Abenteurer'' ("The adventurer") and ''Die tausend Gelächter'' ("The thousand laughs").
He published his most significant collection of
war poetry
A war poet is a poet who participates in a war and writes about their experiences, or a non-combatant who writes poems about war. While the term is applied especially to those who served during the First World War, the term can be applied to a p ...
, ''Tier rang gewaltig mit Tier'' ("Beast strove mightily with beast") in 1920, in a limited edition of 1,000 copies.
This short work of around 80 pages contains 60 poems based on the
sonnet
A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...
form, on themes of night and death.
In his 1985 book in German war poetry, Patrick Bridgwater, Emeritus Professor of German at the
University of Durham
Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...
, described Schnack's book as "the best single collection produced by a German war poet in 1914-1918",
and one work, "Nächtliche Landschaft", as the "best poem of the war written in German".
His poem "Verdun" was published in 1919 in the first edition of the socialist journal ''Das Tribunal''. He also wrote a remarkable poem about
desertion
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ar ...
, entitled ''Der Überlaufer'' ("The deserter").
Later life
After the end of the First World War, he became an editor in
Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
. From 1920 to 1925, he was a literary editor and theatre critic for the ''Neuen Badischen Landes-Zeitung'' in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
. He married Maria Glöckler on 24 October 1924. He travelled in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
before returning to Mannheim and then settled in
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps, south of Berchtesgaden; the ...
. He was one of the 88 writers who pledged their allegiance to
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in October 1933 in a Vow of Most Faithful Allegiance (''Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft'').
[88 "writers", from ''Letters of Heinrich and Thomas Mann, 1900-1949, Volume 12 of Weimar and Now: German Cultural Criticism'', University of California Press 1998]
, p. 367-8 He published lighter popular works in the 1930s and 1940s, including his 1935 work ''Kleines Lesebuch''.
In addition to his poetry, he also wrote some short plays, a few novellas and two novels, ''Zugvögel der Liebe'' (1936) and ''Der finstere Franz'' (1937). His later works have less literary merit, and are overshadowed by his support for the Nazis.
He moved to
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
in 1937, and joined the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
(German Army) in 1944. He was captured by US forces. After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he settled to
Kahl am Main
Kahl am Main (officially ''Kahl a. Main'') is a community in the Aschaffenburg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany. It has around 7,500 inhabitants.
Geography
Location
Kahl am Main ...
, where he later died in 1973.
Works
Bibliography
;Notes
;References
*
- Total pages: 209
*
- Total pages: 316
*
- Total pages: 613
*"German Poetry and the First World War", Patrick Bridgwater, ''European History Quarterly'', 1971
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnack, Anton
1892 births
1973 deaths
20th-century German poets
20th-century German male writers
German Army personnel of World War I
German male poets
German World War I poets
People from Main-Spessart
People from the Kingdom of Bavaria
Sonneteers