Gottfried Benn (2 May 1886 – 7 July 1956) was a German poet, essayist, and physician. He was nominated for the
Nobel Prize in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
five times. He was awarded the
Georg Büchner Prize
The Georg Büchner Prize (german: link=no, Georg-Büchner-Preis) is the most important literary prize for German language literature, along with the Goethe Prize. The award is named after dramatist and writer Georg Büchner, author of ''Woyzeck'' ...
in 1951.
Biography and work
Family and beginnings
Gottfried Benn was born in a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
country parsonage, a few hours from Berlin, the son and grandson of pastors in Mansfeld, now part of
Putlitz
Putlitz () is a town in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 15 km northwest of Pritzwalk, and 35 km northeast of Wittenberge.
Demography
Gallery
File:Putlitz_Burghofer_Herrenhaus.jpg, Burghof manor ...
in the district of
Prignitz
Prignitz () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the northwestern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring are (from the north clockwise) the district Ludwigslust-Parchim in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the district Ostprignitz-Ruppin in Brandenburg, th ...
,
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
. He was educated in
Sellin
Sellin is a municipality on the Island of Rügen, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
History
First mentions of Sellin date to 1295. From 1880 on, the town gained importance as a Baltic Sea spa town.
After the '' Wende'' in 1989, the building ...
in the
Neumark
The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945.
Call ...
and
Frankfurt an der Oder
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...
. To please his father, he studied
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
at the
University of Marburg
The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...
and military medicine at the
Kaiser Wilhelm Academy
The Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science ( German: ''Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften'') was a German scientific institution established in the German Empire in 1911. Its functions were taken over b ...
in Berlin. After being laid off as a military doctor in 1912, Benn turned to
pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
, where he dissected over 200 bodies between October 1912 and November 1913 in Berlin. Many of his literary works reflect on his time as a pathologist.
In the summer of 1912, Benn started a romantic relationship with the Jewish poet
Else Lasker-Schüler
Else Lasker-Schüler (née Elisabeth Schüler) (; 11 February 1869 – 22 January 1945) was a German-Jewish poet and playwright famous for her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin and her poetry. She was one of the few women affiliated with the Expressi ...
.
Gottfried Benn began his literary career as a poet when he published a booklet titled ''Morgue and other Poems'' in 1912, containing
expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
poems dealing with physical decay of flesh, with blood, cancer, and death — for example No III — ''Cycle'':
![Berlin Gottfried Benn Bibliothek 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Berlin_Gottfried_Benn_Bibliothek_2.jpg)
Poems like this "were received by critics and public with shock, dismay, even revulsion." In 1913 a second volume of poems came out, titled ''Sons. New Poems''.
Benn's poetry projects an introverted
nihilism
Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning. The term was popularized by Ivan ...
, that is, an
existentialist
Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...
outlook that views artistic expression as the only purposeful action. In his early poems Benn used his medical experience, often using medical terminology, to portray humanity morbidly as just another species of disease-ridden animal.
World War I and Weimar Republic
After the outbreak of
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 ...
he enlisted in 1914, and spent a brief period on the Belgian front, then served as a military doctor in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. Benn attended the
court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
and
execution
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the State (polity), state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to ...
of Nurse and British spy
Edith Cavell
Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Be ...
. He also worked as a physician in an army
brothel
A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...
. After the war, he returned to Berlin and practiced as a
dermatologist
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...
and
venereal disease
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral se ...
specialist.
During the 1920s, he continued having a close relationship with Jewish poet
Else Lasker-Schüler
Else Lasker-Schüler (née Elisabeth Schüler) (; 11 February 1869 – 22 January 1945) was a German-Jewish poet and playwright famous for her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin and her poetry. She was one of the few women affiliated with the Expressi ...
who addressed love poems to him. This bond to her is the subject of the film ''
Mein Herz-niemandem'' (1997) by
Helma Sanders-Brahms
Helma Sanders-Brahms (20 November 1940 – 27 May 2014) was a German film director, screenwriter and producer.
Biography
Helma Sanders was born on 20 November 1940 in Emden, Germany. She attended a school for acting in Hannover from 1960 to 1 ...
.
During the Third Reich
Hostile to the
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 rejecting
Marxism
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
and
Americanism, Benn, like many Germans, was upset with ongoing economic and political instability, and sympathized for a short period with the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
as a revolutionary force. He hoped that
National Socialism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
would exalt his aesthetics and that expressionism would become the official art of Germany, as
Futurism
Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...
had in Italy. Benn was elected to the poetry section of the
Prussian Academy in 1932 and appointed head of that section in February 1933. In May, he defended the new regime in a radio broadcast, saying "the German workers are better off than ever before."
[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 later signed the ''
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 ...
'', that is, the "vow of most faithful 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 ...
.
The cultural policy of the new State didn't turn out the way he hoped, and in June
Hans Friederich Blunck replaced Benn as head of the Academy's poetry section. Appalled by the
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives (German: ), or the Röhm purge (German: ''Röhm-Putsch''), also called Operation Hummingbird (German: ''Unternehmen Kolibri''), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Ad ...
, Benn turned away from the Nazis. He lived quietly, refraining from public criticism of the Nazi Party, but wrote that the bad conditions of the system "gave me the latter punch" and stated in a letter that the developments presented a "dreadful tragedy!" He decided to perform "the aristocratic form of emigration" 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 ...
in 1935, where he found many officers sympathetic to his disapproval of the régime. In May 1936 the
SS magazine ''
Das Schwarze Korps
''Das Schwarze Korps'' (; German for "The Black Corps") was the official newspaper of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). This newspaper was published on Wednesdays and distributed free of charge. All SS members were encouraged to read it. The chief edit ...
'' attacked his expressionist and experimental poetry as
degenerate
Degeneracy, degenerate, or degeneration may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Degenerate (album), ''Degenerate'' (album), a 2010 album by the British band Trigger the Bloodshed
* Degenerate art, a term adopted in the 1920s by the Nazi Party i ...
, Jewish, and homosexual. In the summer of 1937,
Wolfgang Willrich, a member of the SS, lampooned Benn in his book ''
Säuberung des Kunsttempels'';
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
, however, stepped in to reprimand Willrich and defended Benn on the grounds of his good record since 1933 (his earlier artistic output being irrelevant). In 1938 the
Reichsschrifttumskammer (the National Socialist authors' association) banned Benn from further writing.
After the war
During World War II, Benn was posted to
garrison
A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
s in eastern Germany where he wrote poems and essays. After the war, his work was banned by the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
because of his initial support for Hitler. In 1951 he was awarded the
Georg Büchner Prize
The Georg Büchner Prize (german: link=no, Georg-Büchner-Preis) is the most important literary prize for German language literature, along with the Goethe Prize. The award is named after dramatist and writer Georg Büchner, author of ''Woyzeck'' ...
. He died of cancer in
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
in 1956, and was buried in
Waldfriedhof Dahlem
The Waldfriedhof Dahlem ( Dahlem forest cemetery) is a cemetery in Berlin, in the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf on the edge of the Grunewald forest at Hüttenweg 47. Densely planted with conifers and designed between 1931 and 1933 after the ...
, Berlin.
Reception
Benn had a great influence on German poetry immediately before World War I (as an expressionist), as well as after World War II (as the 'Static' poet).
[Derived from his most effective and well known work, from Gottfried Benn's ''Statische Gedichte.'' Arche Verlag, Zürich 1948/Limes Verlag Wiesbaden 1949 (with three more poems).]
Books
* ''Morgue und andere Gedichte''
orgue and other Poems(Berlin, 1912)
* ''Fleisch'' (1917)
* ''Die Gesammelten Schriften''
he collected works(Berlin, 1922)
* ''Schutt'' (1924)
* ''Betäubung'' (1925)
* ''Spaltung'' (1925)
* ''Nach dem Nihilismus'' (Berlin, 1932)
* ''Der Neue Staat und die Intellektuellen'' (1933)
* ''Kunst und Macht'' (1935)
* ''Ausgewählte Gedichte''
elected Poems(May, 1936) Note: 1st edition contained two poems that were removed for the 2nd edition in November 1936: 'Mann und Frau gehen durch die Krebsbaracke' and 'D-Zug'. The vast majority of the 1st editions were collected and destroyed.
* ''Statische Gedichte''
tatic poems(Zürich, 1948)
* ''Ptolemäer'' (Limes, 1949); ''
Ptolemy's Disciple'' (edited, translated and with a preface by
Simona Draghici), Plutarch Press, 2005, (pbk).
* ''Doppelleben'' (1950); autobiography translated as ''Double Life'' (edited, translated, and with a preface by
Simona Draghici,
Plutarch Press, 2002, ).
* ''Stimme hinter dem Vorhang''; translated as ''
The Voice Behind the Screen'' (translated with an introduction by Simona Draghici (Plutarch Press, 1996, ).
Collections
* ''Sämtliche Werke'' ("Stuttgarter Ausgabe"), ed. by
Gerhard Schuster and Holger Hof, 7 volumes in 8 parts, (Stuttgart 1986–2003, ).
* ''Prose, Essays, Poems'' by Gottfried Benn, edited by
Volkmar Sander; introduction by
Reinhard Paul Becker (
Continuum International Publishing Group
Continuum International Publishing Group was an academic publisher of books with editorial offices in London and New York City. It was purchased by Nova Capital Management in 2005. In July 2011, it was taken over by Bloomsbury Publishing. , al ...
, 1987, & (pbk.)
* ''Selected Poems'' (Clarendon German series) by Gottfried Benn (Oxford U.P., 1970, )
* ''Gottfried Benn in Transition'' by Gottfried Benn, edited by
Simona Draghici (
Plutarch Press, 2003, )
* ''Poems, 1937–1947'' (Plutarch Press, 1991, )
* ''Impromptus'' (
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...
, 2013, )
* ''Gottfried Benn – Friedrich Wilhelm Oelze: Briefwechsel 1932–1956'', edited by Harald Steinhagen, Stephan Kraft and Holger Hof, 4 volumes, (Klett-Cotta/Wallstein, )
Notes
References
* ''German Dreams and German Dreamers: Gottfried Benn's German Universe'' by
Henry Grosshans (
Wyndham Hall Press, 1987, (pbk.).
* ''Gottfried Benn: The Unreconstructed Expressionist'' by J. M. Ritchie (London:
Wolff, 1972, .
* ''Beyond Nihilism: Gottfried Benn's Postmodernist Poetics'' by
Susan Ray (Oxford; New York: P. Lang, 2003, & (pbk.).
* ''Gottfried Benn's Static Poetry: Aesthetic and Intellectual-Historical Interpretations'' by
Mark William Roche (
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
Press, 1991, .
* ''
Primal Vision: Selected Poetry and Prose of Gottfried Benn'' edited by
E. B. Ashton (NY:
Bodley Head
The Bodley Head is an English publishing house, founded in 1887 and existing as an independent entity until the 1970s. The name was used as an imprint of Random House Children's Books from 1987 to 2008. In April 2008, it was revived as an adul ...
, 1961;
Boyars
A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgaria, Russia, Wallachia and Moldavia, and later Romania, Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. Boyars were sec ...
, 1971;
Marion Boyars
Marion Ursula Boyars, ''née'' Asmus (26 October 1927 – 1 February 1999), was a British book publisher who in 1975 founded her own imprint, Marion Boyars Publishers.
Biography
She was born Marion Asmus in New York, daughter of German publisher ...
, 1984,
* ''
Twentieth-Century Culture: A Biographical Companion'' edited by
Alan Bullock
Alan Louis Charles Bullock, Baron Bullock, (13 December 1914 – 2 February 2004) was a British historian. He is best known for his book '' Hitler: A Study in Tyranny'' (1952), the first comprehensive biography of Adolf Hitler, which influence ...
and
R. B. Woodings (Harpercollins, 1984,
* Gottfried Benn and his Critics: Major Interpretations 1912–1992 by Augustinus P. Dierick.
olumbia SC: Camden House Inc. 1992.
* ''German Literature Under National Socialism'' by J. M. Ritchie (London:
C. Helm;
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...
, 1983, .
* ''
The Appeal of Fascism
''The Appeal of Fascism: A Study of Intellectuals and Fascism 1919–1945'' is a 1971 book by the historian Alastair Hamilton, in which the author examines poets, philosophers, artists, and writers with fascist sympathies and convictions in Italy ...
: A Study of Intellectuals and Fascism, 1919–1945'' by
Alastair Hamilton
Alastair Andrew Hamish Hamilton FBA (born 20 May 1941) is an English historian.
Education
The only son of the publisher Hamish Hamilton and his second wife Yvonne Vicino Pallavicino, Hamilton was educated at Eton College and read Modern La ...
, foreword by
Stephen Spender
Sir Stephen Harold Spender (28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by the ...
(London:
Blond, 1971, .
* ''
Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890
The ''Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'' is a reference book by Philip Rees, on leading people in the various far right movements since 1890.
It contains entries for what the author regards as "the 500 major figures on the r ...
'' by
Philip Rees
Philip Rees (born 1941) is a British writer and librarian formerly in charge of acquisitions at the J. B. Morrell Library, University of York. He has written books on fascism and the extreme right.
Works
*''Fascism in Britain'' (Harvester Pres ...
(New York:
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...
, 1990, ).
* ''
Reason and Energy: Studies in German Literature'' by
Michael Hamburger
Michael Peter Leopold Hamburger (22 March 1924 – 7 June 2007) was a noted German-British translator, poet, critic, memoirist and academic. He was known in particular for his translations of Friedrich Hölderlin, Paul Celan, Gottfried Benn and ...
(London:
Routledge & Paul, 1957; New York:
Grove Press
Grove Press is an United States of America, American Imprint (trade name), publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it in ...
, 1957; London:
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991.
History
George Weidenfeld a ...
, 1970, revised ed., .
* ''
Encyclopedia of the Third Reich'' by
Louis Leo Snyder
Louis Leo Snyder (4 July 1907 – 25 November 1993) was an American scholar, who witnessed first hand the Nazism, Nazi Nuremberg Rally, mass rallies held from 1923 on in Germany; and wrote about them from New York in his ''Hitlerism: The Iron Fist ...
(New York:
McGraw-Hill
McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes referenc ...
, 1976, ; London:
Blandford
Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this was abolished and ...
, 1989, ; New York:
Paragon House
The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Spi ...
, 1989, 1st pbk. ed., ; New York:
Marlowe Marlowe may refer to:
Name
* Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), English dramatist, poet and translator
* Philip Marlowe, fictional hardboiled detective created by author Raymond Chandler
* Marlowe (name), including list of people and characters w ...
, 1998,
* ''Snow from Broken Eyes: Cocaine in the Lives and Works of Three Expressionist Poets'', Richard Millington, (Peter Lang AG, 2012)
* “Das Ich ist ein Phantom.” The Crisis of Cartesianism and its Transcendence in Myth in Gottfried Benn’s Early Dramas.” by Augustinus P. Dierick. In: Analogon Rationis. Festschrift für Gerwin Mahrarens zum 65. Geburtstag. Ed. Marianne Henn and Christoph Lorey. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1994, 357-389.
External links
*
*
Translation of Astern/Asters*
Gottfried Benn Society German language site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benn, Gottfried
1886 births
1956 deaths
People from Prignitz
People from the Province of Brandenburg
Expressionist poets
German Expressionist writers
Writers from Brandenburg
Georg Büchner Prize winners
Modernist writers
German military personnel of World War II
Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
20th-century German poets
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class
University of Marburg alumni
German male poets
German male essayists
German essayists
Deaths from cancer in Germany
German-language poets
20th-century essayists
20th-century German male writers
Philosophical pessimists
German military personnel of World War I
Members of the German Academy for Language and Literature