Ernst R. Rowohlt (23 June 1887 in Bremen – 1 December 1960 in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

) was a German

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

who founded the Rowohlt publishing house in 1908 and headed it and its successors until his death. In 1912 he married actress Emmy Reye, but the marriage only lasted a short while. In 1921 he married Hilda Pangust and in 1957 he married Maria Pierenkämper. Rowohlt had two sons, both illegitimate:

Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

(1908–1992), who succeeded him as head of the publishing house, and

Harry Rowohlt Harry Rowohlt (27 March 1945 – 15 June 2015) was a German writer and translator. He also played the role of a derelict in the famous German weekly-soap Lindenstraße. Background Born Harry Rupp in Hamburg, Rowohlt was the son of publisher ...

(1945–2015), a writer. He also had one daughter. As a publisher he specialized in works by American authors including

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

and

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most o ...

. With the rise of the Nazis he switched to safer non-fiction and travel works, and in 1937 joined 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 ...

. He insisted on keeping his Jewish staff and editors and remained publisher for officially disapproved writers such as

Hans Fallada Hans Fallada (; born Rudolf Wilhelm Friedrich Ditzen; 21 July 18935 February 1947) was a German writer of the first half of the 20th century. Some of his better known novels include '' Little Man, What Now?'' (1932) and ''Every Man Dies Alone'' ...

. In 1936 he allowed Jewish author Bruno Adler to publish a biography of

Adalbert Stifter Adalbert Stifter (; 23 October 1805 – 28 January 1868) was an Austrian writer, poet, painter, and pedagogue. He was notable for the vivid natural landscapes depicted in his writing and has long been popular in the German-speaking world, while ...

under a pseudonym. When discovered in 1938, he was banned by the Nazis from working as a publisher. Rowohlt handed control of the firm to his son Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt and fled to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, but he returned to Germany during the war and became a captain in 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 previo ...

on the eastern front until his politically motivated discharge in 1943.

References

1887 births 1960 deaths German publishers (people) Businesspeople from Bremen Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany {{Germany-business-bio-stub