Grete Weiskopf (11 May 1905 – 15 March 1966), known by the pseudonym Alex Wedding, was a German writer of children's and young adult fiction.

Life

Born Grete Bernheim in Salzburg, she initially worked as a typist, bookseller, and bank clerk in Berlin. In 1928 she married the Czech-born author

Franz Carl Weiskopf Franz Carl Weiskopf (3 April 1900 in Prague – 14 September 1955) was a German-speaking writer. Born in Prague, then part of Austria-Hungary, he was often referred to as F. C. Weiskopf, he also used the pseudonyms Petr Buk, Pierre Buk and F. W. L. ...

, a member of the

German Communist Party The German Communist Party (german: Deutsche Kommunistische Partei, ) is a communist party in Germany. The DKP supports left positions and was an observer member of the European Left. At the end of February 2016 it left the European party. His ...

and the Association of Proletarian-Revolutionary Authors. In 1931 she authored her first young adult novel, '' Ede und Unku'', which was among the books destroyed during the

Nazi book burnings The Nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union (, ''DSt'') to ceremonially burn books in Nazi Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representi ...

. In 1933 she and her husband fled to

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

; in 1939 they fled via Paris to New York City. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the couple returned to Prague for a brief period. That same year, Franz began working in the diplomatic service, which led to assignments in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

and Stockholm. From 1950 to 1952 they lived in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, where she worked as a translator and journalist. From 1953 until her death she lived in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. She and her husband are buried in a

Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde The Friedrichsfelde Central Cemetery (german: Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde) is a cemetery in the borough of Lichtenberg in Berlin. It was the cemetery used for many of Berlin's Socialists, Communists, and anti-fascist fighters. History W ...

Career

During her life in East Germany, Weiskopf wrote children's and young adult novels and short stories. Her two most successful books are ''Ede und Unku'' and ''The Arctic Ocean'', which were both adapted into films. She was considered a pioneer of socialist children's literature.

Honors

* She is the namesake of a literary prize, the

Alex-Wedding-Preis The Alex Wedding Prize is a German literary prize awarded to authors of works for children and young people. It is named after children's author Grete Weiskopf-Bernheim (1905–1966), who wrote under the pen name "Alex Wedding". From 1968 to 1990 ...

, awarded since 1968. * On 27 January 2011, on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Nation Socialism, a path in

Friedrichshain Friedrichshain () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. From its creation in 1920 until 2001, it was a freestanding city borough. Formerly part of East Berlin, it is adjacent to Mitte, Prenzl ...

was renamed ''Ede-und-Unku-Weg'' in memory of Weiskopf's most celebrated novel. * Since 2009 a street on Alexanderplatz between Karl-Liebknecht-, Knebel-, and Wadzeckstrasse is named Alex-Wedding-Strasse.

Works

* 1931: '' Ede und Unku'' * 1936: ''Das Eismeer ruft'' * 1948: ''Die Fahne des Pfeiferhänsleins * 1948: ''Söldner ohne Sold, Ein Roman für die Jugend'' * 1952: ''Das eiserne Büffelchen'' * 1961: ''Die Drachenbraut. Chinesische Volksmärchen'' * 1963: ''Hubert, das Flusspferd''. (based on the true story of Huberta) * 1965: ''Im Schatten des Baobab. Märchen und Fabeln aus Afrika''

Filmography

Adaptations

* 1961: ''Das Eismeer ruft'' (''Ledove more vola''), directed by Hanus Burger * 1980: ''Als Unku Edes Freundin war'', directed by Helmut Dziuba * 1982: '' Das große Abenteuer des Kaspar Schmeck'', directed by Gunter Friedrich * 1984: ''Das Eismeer ruft'', directed by Jörg Foth

Scripts

* 1957: '' Lissy'' * 1964: ''Ferientage''

References

External links

Straßenbenennung
Female personalities in Berlin Mitte
Information on Grete Weiskopf at KinderundJugendmedien.de

Alex-Wedding-Archiv
in the Archive of the

Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The Academy's predecessor organization was fo ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiskopf, Grete 1905 births 1966 deaths East German writers German children's writers German women novelists 20th-century German women writers German women children's writers