Leonhard Frank (4 September 1882 in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

– 18 August 1961 in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

) was a German

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 radi ...

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, ...

. He studied

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

and

graphic art A category of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional, i.e. produced on a flat surface.

, and gained acclaim with his first novel ''The Robber Band'' (1914, tr. 1928). When a Berlin journalist celebrated in a famous café about news of the loss of the ship

RMS Lusitania RMS ''Lusitania'' (named after the Roman province in Western Europe corresponding to modern Portugal) was a British ocean liner that was launched by the Cunard Line in 1906 and that held the Blue Riband appellation for the fastest Atlantic ...

, torpedoed by a German submarine, Frank was upset – and slapped the man in his face. That is why he went into exile in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

(1915–18), where he wrote a series of pacifist short-stories published under the title ''Man is Good''. He returned to Germany, but after the Nazis gained power in 1933 Frank had to emigrate a second time. He lived in Switzerland again, moved to London, then Paris and finally fled under adventurous conditions to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in 1940, returning to Munich in 1950. His best-known novels were ''In the Last Coach'' (1925, tr. 1935) and ''Carl and Anna'', which he dramatized in 1929. In 1947 MGM made a movie titled ''Desire Me'' out of this story.

Style and Motif

Leonhard Frank's novels and plays are known for their sensationalism. Frank's prose was compact and austere. This choice of style was used effectively to highlight his favorite theme—the damage inflicted by bourgeois society on the individual spirit.

Works

Frank had become a writer after working as a commercial artist. After he fled to Switzerland in 1914, he blossomed as a writer. It was in Switzerland that he wrote and published his first work ''The Robber Band''. The book told the story of a group of rebellious young boys who harbor ambitions of dismantling their exploitative society and replacing it with an ideal one. But, as it often happens, the belligerent youth turn into docile adults, the good citizens of an unquestioning society. The story, like so many of his writings, presents the humorous facet of the middle class in a realistic manner. He published other books during his exile in Switzerland like ''The Cause of the Crime'' (1915), a scathing criticism of repressive educational systems, and ''Man Is Good'' (1917), a revolutionary denunciation of war. Frank was a staunch believer in socialism. He regarded the overthrow of capitalism as paramount to the establishment of socialism. This desire was reflected in his novels ''A Middle-Class Man'' (1924) and in ''The Singers'' (1927). It was also during this period of semi-autobiographical writings that Frank produced what is regarded as his best work, the novel ''Carl and Anna'' (1926). The novel was a realistic masterpiece in which a soldier seduces his comrade's wife. Success came with a price for Frank. His revolutionary writings did not go down well with the Nazis, who banned his books in 1933 and burned them. He did not get published in Germany again until in 1952, when his autobiographical novel Heart on the Left came out. 1924 Leonhard Frank der Bürger

Filmography

Film adaptations

*''

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

'', directed by

Joe May Joe May (born Joseph Otto Mandl; 7 November 1880 – 29 April 1954) was an Austrian film director and film producer and one of the pioneers of German cinema. Biography After studying in Berlin and a variety of odd jobs, he began his career as ...

(Germany, 1928, based on the novella ''Karl und Anna'') *''Die Räuberbande'', directed by

Hans Behrendt Hans Behrendt (28 September 1889 – 1942) was a German-Jewish actor, screenwriter and film director. He was murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942. Selected filmography Screenwriter * ''Catherine the Great'' (1920) * '' ...

(Germany, 1928, based on the novel ''Die Räuberbande'') *''

Desire Me ''Desire Me'' is a 1947 American drama film starring Robert Mitchum and Greer Garson. It had a troubled production that included numerous directors and rewrites, and was ultimately released without a credited director. Plot In Paris, Marise Aube ...

'' (USA, 1947, based on the novella ''Karl und Anna'') *'' Der Prozeß wird vertagt'', directed by (East Germany, 1958, based on the novella ''Michaels Rückkehr'') *'' The Story of a Murder'', directed by (East Germany, 1965, based on the novel ''Die Jünger Jesu'') *''Deutsche Novelle'', directed by (West Germany, 1972, TV film, based on the novella ''Deutsche Novelle'') *''Die Kurve'', directed by (East Germany, 1974, TV film, based on the play ''Die Kurve'') *''Der Mörder'', directed by (East Germany, 1976, TV film, based on the novella ''Die Ursache'') *''Das Männerquartett'', directed by

Michael Verhoeven Michael Verhoeven (born 13 July 1938) is a German film director. Life and work Verhoeven is the son of the German film director Paul Verhoeven (not to be confused with the Dutch film director Paul Verhoeven). He married actress Senta Berger in ...

(West Germany, 1978, TV film, based on the novel ''Das Ochsenfurter Männerquartett'') *''Ende vom Lied'', directed by (East Germany, 1979, TV film, based on the novel ''Das Ochsenfurter Männerquartett'') *''Die Ursache'', directed by

(West Germany, 1980, TV film, based on the novella ''Die Ursache'') *'' The Woman and the Stranger'', directed by Rainer Simon (East Germany, 1985, based on the novella ''Karl und Anna'')

Screenwriter

*''Die Räuberbande'', dir.

, 1928) *''

The Murderer Dimitri Karamazov ''The Murderer Dimitri Karamazov'' () is a 1931 German drama film directed by Erich Engels and Fedor Ozep, starring Fritz Kortner and Anna Sten. It tells the story of a lieutenant who is suspected of having murdered his father. The film is based ...

'' (dir.

Fedor Ozep Fedor Ozep or Fyodor Otsep (russian: Фёдор Алекса́ндрович О́цеп, ''Fyodor Aleksandrovich Otsep''; February 9, 1895 – June 20, 1949) was a Russian-American film director and screenwriter, born in Moscow. An important earl ...

, 1931) *'' Hell on Earth'' (dir.

Victor Trivas Victor Trivas (July 9, 1896 – April 12, 1970) was a Russian-JewishSiegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'', Berghahn Books (2007), p. 211 screenwriter and film director. He was nom ...

, 1931) *'' The Victor'' (dir.

Hans Hinrich Hans Hinrich (27 November 1903 – 20 October 1974) was a German film director and actor. He initially worked in Germany but later also worked in Italy where he was usually credited as ''Giovanni Hinrich''. Hinrich was a noted theatre director ...

and

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son ...

, 1932)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Leonhard 1882 births 1961 deaths Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German Expressionist writers Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States German male writers Kleist Prize winners People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Writers from Würzburg Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany