Brigitte Hamann (; 26 July 1940 – 4 October 2016) was a German-Austrian author and historian based in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Biography

Born in Essen,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Hamann studied history in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

and Vienna. She worked as a journalist in her native Essen for some time. In 1965, she married historian Günther Hamann (1924–1994), moved to Vienna and obtained Austrian citizenship in addition to her German. The couple had three children; one of them is journalist and feminist Sibylle Hamann. Brigitte Hamann worked with her husband at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

and in 1978 obtained a doctor's degree on the basis of a thesis on the life of

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria en, Rudolph Francis Charles Joseph , caption = Rudolf in 1887 , spouse = , issue = Elisabeth Marie, Princess Otto of Windisch-Graetz , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Franz Joseph I of Austria , mother ...

. The thesis was published as a book the same year. She described her working method as follows: "(Coming from Germany) I had a different view of Austria, and I began to write with a certain detachment". The success of her first book led to further books, notably on

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898. Elisabeth was ...

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 ...

, and

Winifred Wagner Winifred Marjorie Wagner ( Williams; 23 June 1897 – 5 March 1980) was the English-born wife of Siegfried Wagner, the son of Richard Wagner, and ran the Bayreuth Festival after her husband's death in 1930 until the end of World War II in 1 ...

. Hamann's 1996 book
Hitler's Vienna: A Dictator's Apprenticeship
' examined how societal attitudes at the time shaped Hitler's anti-Semitic views during his time in Vienna between 1908 and 1913, and the effects of his inordinate fear of both infection and women. Following the publication of '' The Hidden Hitler'' by historian and

University of Bremen The University of Bremen (German: ''Universität Bremen'') is a public university in Bremen, Germany, with approximately 23,500 people from 115 countries. It is one of 11 institutions which were successful in the category "Institutional Strategi ...

professor

Lothar Machtan Lothar Machtan (born 4 October 1949) is a German historian, writer, as well as professor of Modern and Current History at the University of Bremen. Early life Born in Gelsenkirchen, Machtan studied history and political sciences at Heidelberg Uni ...

, Hamann investigated claims about Hitler's homosexuality and appears in the 2004 HBO documentary film, '' Hidden Fuhrer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler's Sexuality'', by American documentarians

Fenton Bailey World of Wonder Productions is an American production company founded in 1991 by filmmakers Randy Barbato and Portsmouth-born Fenton Bailey. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company specializes in documentary television and film productio ...

and

Randy Barbato World of Wonder Productions is an American production company founded in 1991 by filmmakers Randy Barbato and Portsmouth-born Fenton Bailey. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company specializes in documentary television and film productio ...

. In 2005, Hamann released ''Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler's Bayreuth'', a biography of

, the British-born woman who became a founding member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

and a close friend of Hitler. The publication earned her "Book of the Year" honors by ''

Opernwelt ''Opernwelt'' (''Opera World'') is a monthly German magazine for opera, operetta and ballet. It includes news about current performances, portraits of composers and performers, articles about opera houses, performance spaces, and contemporary and ...

'' (Operaworld) magazine and "Historical Book of the Year" honors from ''

Damals ''Damals'' is a German monthly popular scientific history magazine. The magazine has been issued since 1969 and aims primarily at students, teachers, university students, scientists and a readership interested in historical science. The German ...

'' history magazine. That same year she received the "" in recognition of her work. Hamann died on 4 October 2016 at the age of 76.

Honors

* (1978) * (1982) * (1986) * Anton Wildgans Prize (1994) * (1997) * (1998) * in Silber (2006) * Honorary prize of the Austrian Booksellers for tolerance in thought and deed (2012)

Books translated into English

*''The Reluctant Empress: A Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria'' (

Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...

: 1986) () *''The Reluctant Empress'',

Ullstein Verlag The ''Ullstein Verlag'' was founded by Leopold Ullstein in 1877 at Berlin and is one of the largest publishing companies of Germany. It published newspapers like '' B.Z.'' and ''Berliner Morgenpost'' and books through its subsidiaries ''Ullstein B ...

, Berlin 1982, 6th ed. 2000 *''Bertha von Suttner: A Life for Peace'' (Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution) (

Syracuse University Press Syracuse University Press, founded in 1943, is a university press that is part of Syracuse University. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. History SUP was formed in August 1943 when president William P. Tolley pro ...

: 1986) *''Rudolf. The Road to Mayerling'' (German and English, picture book) München 1988 *''Sissi, Elisabeth, Empress of Austria'' (Taschen America: 1997) () *''Hitler's Vienna: A Dictator's Apprenticeship''. (1999:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

) *''Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler's Bayreuth''. (2005: Granta publications, England) *''Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler's Bayreuth'', Harcourt Books, Orlando USA 2006 An English translation of the rororo monograph ''Die Familie Wagner'' is to appear.

Books in German

* ''Rudolf, Kronprinz und Rebell'', Wien 1978 * '' Elisabeth, Kaiserin wider Willen'', Wien 1981 * ''Mit Kaiser Max in Mexiko'', Wien 1983 * ''Kaiserin Elisabeth. Das poetische Tagebuch'', Verlag der Österr. Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 1984 * '' Bertha von Suttner. Ein Leben für den Frieden'', München 1986 * ''Die Habsburger. Ein biographisches Lexikon'', München 1988 * ''Nichts als Musik im Kopf. Das Leben von

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

'', Wien 1990 (Kinderbuch) * ''Elisabeth. Bilder einer Kaiserin'', Wien 1995 * ''Meine liebe, gute Freundin! Die Briefe Kaiser

Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

s an

Katharina Schratt Katharina Schratt (11 September 1853 – 17 April 1940) was an Austrian actress who became "the uncrowned Empress of Austria" as a ''confidante'' of Emperor Franz Joseph. Life Katharina Schratt was born in Baden bei Wien, the only daughter of st ...

, München 1992 * '' Hitlers Wien. Lehrjahre eines Diktators'', München 1996 * ''Kronprinz Rudolf: 'Majestät, ich warne Sie..., München 2002 * ''

oder Hitlers Bayreuth'', München 2002 * ''Der erste Weltkrieg. Wahrheit und Lüge in Bildern und Texten'', München 2004 * ''Ein Herz und viele Kronen. Das Leben der Kaiserin

Maria Theresia Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

''. Illustriert von , Wien 2004 (Kinderbuch) * ''Die Familie

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

'', Reinbek bei Hamburg 2005 * ''Kronprinz Rudolf. Ein Leben'', Wien 2005 * ''Mozart. Sein Leben und seine Zeit'', Wien 2006 * ''Hitlers Edeljude. Das Leben des Armenarztes

Eduard Bloch Eduard Bloch (30 January 1872 – 1 June 1945) was an Austrian physician practicing in Linz, who, for many years until 1907, was the family doctor of Adolf Hitler and his family. When Hitler's mother, Klara, was dying of breast cancer, Bloch bil ...

'', München 2008 Numerous editions, paperbacks, and translations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamann, Brigitte 1940 births 2016 deaths Anton Wildgans Prize winners 20th-century Austrian historians Austrian journalists German emigrants to Austria German women journalists 20th-century German journalists Writers from Essen University of Münster alumni University of Vienna alumni Academics of the University of Vienna 20th-century German women writers 21st-century German women writers