Ernst Lothar (1890–1974) ~1930 © Georg Fayer (1892–1950)

Ernst Lothar (; 25 October 1890 – 30 October 1974) was a

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, theatre director/manager and producer. He was born Ernst Lothar Müller, and as Müller is a very common

German surname Personal names in German-speaking Europe consist of one or several given names (''Vorname'', plural ''Vornamen'') and a surname (''Nachname, Familienname''). The ''Vorname'' is usually gender-specific. A name is usually cited in the " Western orde ...

, he dropped it. His brother,

Hans Müller-Einigen Hans Müller(-Einigen) (born 25 October 1882 in Brünn, Austria-Hungary; died 8 March 1950 in Einigen) was a German language writer, author of screenplays and director. As his proper name, Hans Müller, was quite common, he added the name of the S ...

, by contrast, added a surname.

Biography

Lothar was born in Brünn,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(now Brno in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

) and died 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 ...

. Amongst his novels was ''The Angel with the Trumpet'' and ''The Prisoner''. In 1943 he published ''Beneath Another Sun'' (Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., Garden City, N.Y.). It was evidently written in exile as the foreword is signed

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, Summer, 1942. He was married to the Austrian actress

Adrienne Gessner Adrienne Gessner (23 July 1896 – 23 June 1987) was an Austrian actress. Gessner appeared in over fifty film and television shows during her career, including the 1955 costume film '. Gessner appeared in a mixture of German and Austrian films dur ...

. They both fled into exile following the 1938

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

Honours and awards

* Bauersfeld Prize (1918) * Gold Medal of Vienna (1960) * Kainz Medal (1960) *

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian ...

, 1st class (1961) * Literature Prize of the City of Vienna (1963) * Golden Needle of P.E.N. Club (1963) *

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian ...

(1964) * Honorary member of the Burgtheater and the P.E.N. clubs

Books in translation (selected)

The Loom of Justice (1935), translated by Willa and Edwin Muir A Woman is Witness: A Paris Diary (1941), translated by June Barrows Mussey Beneath Another Sun (1943), translated by June Barrows Mussey The Angel with the Trumpet (1944), made into films of the same name in 1948 and 1950; republished in 2015 as "The Vienna Melody", translated by Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood The Prisoner: A Novel (1945), translated by James Austin Galston The Door Opens (1945), translated by Marion A. Werner; illustrated by

Garth Williams Garth Montgomery Williams (April 16, 1912 – May 8, 1996) was an American artist who came to prominence in the American postwar era as an illustrator of children's books. Many of the books he illustrated have become classics of American childr ...

Filmography

*'' Little Friend'', directed by

Berthold Viertel Berthold Viertel (28 June 1885 – 24 September 1953) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director, known for his work in Germany, the UK and the US. Early career Viertel was born in Vienna, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but later ...

(UK, 1934, based on the novel ''Kleine Freundin'') *'' The Clairvoyant'', directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

(UK, 1935, based on the novel ''Der Hellseher'') *'' The Angel with the Trumpet'', directed by Karl Hartl (Austria, 1948, based on the novel ''Der Engel mit der Posaune'') *''

An Act of Murder ''An Act of Murder'' (also known as ''Live Today for Tomorrow'' and ''I Stand Accused'') is a 1948 American film noir directed by Michael Gordon and starring Fredric March, Edmond O'Brien, Florence Eldridge, and Geraldine Brooks. It was ent ...

'', directed by Michael Gordon (1948, based on the novel ''Die Mühle der Gerechtigkeit'') *'' The Angel with the Trumpet'', directed by

Anthony Bushell Anthony Arnatt Bushell (19 May 1904 – 2 April 1997) was an English film actor and director who appeared in more than 50 films between 1929 and 1961. He played Colonel Breen in the BBC serial ''Quatermass and the Pit'' (1958–59), and al ...

(UK, 1950, based on the novel ''Der Engel mit der Posaune'') Screenwriter *', directed by (Austria, 1963, TV film, based on the eponymous novella by

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

)

External links

* *
Eintrag Ernst Lothar
on AEIOU
Ernst Lothar DW
1890 births 1974 deaths Writers from Brno People from the Margraviate of Moravia Austrian male dramatists and playwrights Austrian theatre managers and producers Austrian theatre directors Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United States 20th-century Austrian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century male writers Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Film people from Brno {{theat-bio-stub

Biography

Honours and awards

Books in translation (selected)

Filmography

See also

External links