Max Herrmann (14 May 1865 – 17 November 1942) was a German literary historian and theorist of theatre studies. He is considered to be the founding father of theatre studies in Germany.
/ref> Born in Berlin into a Jewish family, Herrmann, having passed his

A-levels The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

, in 1884 began studying Germanic Philology and History at the Universities of Freiburg,

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In 1891 he became ''

Privatdozent ''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...

'' for Germanic Philology at the University of Berlin and in 1898 he married Helene Schlesinger. In 1900 he gave his first lectures on theatre studies at the Department of Germanic Studies in Berlin. In his interpretation and analysis of

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

's play ''Jahrmarktsfest in Plundersweilern'' he not only included results based on research of the original sources but also the stage history of the play. After having been appointed professor in 1903 he continued working as a free-lance lecturer and contributed to a number of literary societies, such as the Society for Theatre Studies. In 1914 he published his most renowned work "Research on the History of German Theatre in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

" (''Forschungen zur deutschen Theatergeschichte des Mittelalters und der Renaissance'') in which he further specified his approach. In 1916 he founded the "Library of German Private and Manuscript Prints" (''Bibliothek Deutscher Privat- und Manuskriptdrucke'') at Berlin State Library. Herrmann advocated vehemently the emancipation of theatre studies from German Studies. In 1919 he was offered a chair at the University of Berlin. When, in 1923, the Institute of Theatre Studies at Berlin University, world-wide the first of its kind, was founded despite much resistance from the more established disciplines, Herrmann was appointed its head, a function he fulfilled alternately with

Julius Petersen Julius Peter Christian Petersen (16 June 1839, Sorø, West Zealand – 5 August 1910, Copenhagen) was a Danish mathematician. His contributions to the field of mathematics led to the birth of graph theory. Biography Petersen's interests i ...

. When the

Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Hitler Service (german: Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums, shortened to ''Berufsbeamtengesetz''), also known as Civil Service Law, Civil Service Restoration Act, and Law to Re-es ...

was passed in April 1933, Max Herrmann was deprived of his professorship by being forced to go into retirement. On 8 September 1942 he and his wife were deported to the concentration camp Theresienstadt where Max Herrmann died in November 1942. Until his deportation Herrmann worked on "The Development of the Professional Art of Theatre in Antiquity and Modern Times" (''Die Entstehung der berufsmässigen Schauspielkunst im Altertum und in der Neuzeit'') irrespective of institutionlised harassment which meant, for example, that he was only allowed to read books while standing. The manuscript of the book was preserved by a student of Herrmann's, Ruth Mövius, and only published in 1962. Berlin State Library awards every year on 10 May, the anniversary of the Nazi book burnings, the Max-Herrmann-Prize.

Works

* ''Forschungen zur deutschen Theatergeschichte des Mittelalters und der Renaissance.'' Berlin:

Weidmannsche Buchhandlung Weidmannsche Buchhandlung is a German book publisher established in 1680 that remained independent until it was acquired by Verlag Georg Olms in 1983. History Weidmannsche Buchhandlung was established in 1680 in Frankfurt by Moritz Georg Weid ...

, 1914. * ''Die Bühne des Hans Sachs. Ein offener Brief an Albert Köster''. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1928 * ''Die Entstehung der berufsmässigen Schauspielkunst im Altertum und in der Neuzeit''. Ed. Ruth Mövius. Berlin: Henschel, 1962.
online

Works

References

Further reading