Arthur R.G. Solmssen (September 29, 1928 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Profile of Arthur Solmssen
www.acamedia.info. – April 23, 2018,

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township and Haverford Township in Delaware County, and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It i ...

) was an American lawyer and novelist.

History

Arthur R.G. Solmssen spent his early childhood in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, and his adolescence and later youth in the suburbs of Philadelphia. His uncle was German banker

Georg Solmssen Georg Solmssen (born Georg Adolf Salomonsohn, 7 August 1869 – 10 January 1957) was a German banker. Life His father was German banker Adolph Salomonsohn and his mother was Sara Rinkel. His uncle was German banker Arthur Salomonsohn, and h ...

, his ancestor was the German banker

Joseph Mendelssohn Joseph Mendelssohn (11 August 1770 – 24 November 1848) was a German Jewish banker. He was the oldest son of the influential philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. In 1795, he founded his own banking house. In 1804, his younger brother, Abraham Mendel ...

. He studied at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950, and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, where he completed his law degree in 1953. He was called to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1953 and commenced working as a lawyer in Philadelphia. His professional affiliation is Of Counsel to

Saul Ewing Saul Ewing LLP is a U.S.-based law firm with 18 offices and approximately 425 attorneys providing a broad range of legal services. Its offices are located along the East Coast from Boston to Miami and extend into the Midwest by way of Chicago. ...

LLP. Solmssen published several novels, the most famous of which is ''

A Princess in Berlin ''A Princess in Berlin'' is a 1980 historical novel by Arthur R.G. Solmssen. Plot Peter Ellis is a young American artist studying in Paris in 1922. His prominent Philadelphia family ends his funding to persuade him to return home to become ...

'' (1980). Solmssen received the

Athenaeum Literary Award The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located at 219 S. 6th Street between St. James Place and Locust Street in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a special collections library and museum founded in 1814 to collect materials ...

for the novel. ''A Princess in Berlin'' is a portrait of the early

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, and has been the subject of multiple translations. Solmssen's works are catalogued by the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

, among others. ''The Comfort Letter'', Solmssen's 1975 novel concerning ethics and assurances in public offerings, has been the subject of contemporary academic analysis in law. Solmssen was a Fellow of the

Salzburg Global Seminar Salzburg Global Seminar is a non-profit organization that challenges current and future leaders to shape a better world. It convenes programs on health care, education, culture, finance, technology, public policy, media, human rights, corporate g ...

, with which he maintained an active association. He recently finished a book about German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

pilot and general officer

Ernst Udet Ernst Udet (26 April 1896 – 17 November 1941) was a German pilot during World War I and a ''Luftwaffe'' Colonel-General (''Generaloberst'') during World War II. Udet joined the Imperial German Air Service at the age of 19, and eventually ...

. Solmssen has three sons, Peter York Solmssen
Kurt A. Solmssen
and A.R.G. Solmssen Junior.

Bibliography

* 1969 ''Rittenhouse Square'' (

Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...

) * 1971
Alexander's Feast
' * 1975 ''The Comfort Letter'' (

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

) * 1980 ''

'' (Little, Brown and Company) * 1986 ''Takeover Time'' (Little, Brown and Company) * 2000 ''The Wife of Shore: A Search''Paperback edition by Mill Creek Press, 2000.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Solmssen, Arthur R.G. 1928 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists Pennsylvania lawyers Lawyers from New York City Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Lawyers from Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Harvard University alumni 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Writers from New York City German Lutherans American Lutherans 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Lutherans