Peter Weiss (Slovakia)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Peter Ulrich Weiss (8 November 1916 – 10 May 1982) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist, and experimental filmmaker of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays ''
Marat/Sade ''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade'' (german: Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgrupp ...
'' and ''
The Investigation ''The Investigation'' (original title ''Śledztwo'') is a science fiction/ detective/ thriller novel by the Polish writer Stanisław Lem. The novel incorporates a philosophical discourse on explanation of unknown phenomena. It was first publis ...
'' and his novel ''
The Aesthetics of Resistance ''The Aesthetics of Resistance'' (german: Die Ästhetik des Widerstands, 1975–1981) is a three-volume novel by the German-born playwright, novelist, filmmaker, and painter Peter Weiss which was written over a ten-year period between 1971 and 19 ...
''. Peter Weiss earned his reputation in the post-war German literary world as the proponent of an avant-garde, meticulously descriptive writing, as an exponent of autobiographical prose, and also as a politically engaged dramatist. He gained international success with ''Marat/Sade'', the American production of which was awarded a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
and its subsequent
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
directed by
Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...
. His "Auschwitz Oratorium," ''
The Investigation ''The Investigation'' (original title ''Śledztwo'') is a science fiction/ detective/ thriller novel by the Polish writer Stanisław Lem. The novel incorporates a philosophical discourse on explanation of unknown phenomena. It was first publis ...
'', served to broaden the debates over the so-called "Aufarbeitung der Vergangenheit" (or formerly) "Vergangenheitsbewältigung" or "
politics of history Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
." Weiss's magnum opus was ''
The Aesthetics of Resistance ''The Aesthetics of Resistance'' (german: Die Ästhetik des Widerstands, 1975–1981) is a three-volume novel by the German-born playwright, novelist, filmmaker, and painter Peter Weiss which was written over a ten-year period between 1971 and 19 ...
'', called the "most important German-language work of the 70s and 80s." His early, surrealist-inspired work as a painter and experimental filmmaker remains less well known.


Life

Weiss was born in
Nowawes Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Pal ...
(now part of
Potsdam-Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palac ...
) near
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 ...
, to a Hungarian Jewish father and a Christian mother. After the First World War and the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Weiss's father became a Czech citizen and the son acquired his father's citizenship – Weiss was never a German citizen. At age three he moved with his family to the German port city of
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
, and during his adolescence back to
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 ...
where he began training as a painter. In 1935 he emigrated with his family to
Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...
, near London, where he studied photography at the Polytechnic School of Photography. In 1936–1937 the family moved to Czechoslovakia. Weiss attended the
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
Art Academy. After the German occupation of the Czech
Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
in 1938, his family moved to
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, while Weiss was visiting
Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...
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 ...
. In 1939 he joined his family in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Sweden, where he lived for the rest of his life. He became a Swedish citizen in 1946. Weiss was married three times: to the painter Helga Henschen, 1943–47; to Carlota Dethorey, 1949; and from 1964 until his death to the Swedish artist and stage designer Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss. In the 1960s Weiss became increasingly politically radical, taking stands for revolutionary Cuba and against US intervention in Vietnam and visiting both countries. In 1966 he visited the United States together with the West German writers group ''Gruppe 47''. During a conference at Princeton University he denounced the US war against North Vietnam which seems to have scandalized his German colleagues more than his US hosts. In 1967 he participated in the anti-war
Russell Tribunal The Russell Tribunal, also known as the International War Crimes Tribunal, Russell–Sartre Tribunal, or Stockholm Tribunal, was a private People's Tribunal organised in 1966 by Bertrand Russell, British philosopher and Nobel Prize winner, and ...
in Stockholm and in 1968 he joined the
eurocommunist Eurocommunism, also referred to as democratic communism or neocommunism, was a trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties which said they had developed a theory and practice of social transformation more rele ...
Swedish Left Party (VPK). During the same year he also visited North Vietnam and published a book about his trip. In 1970 Weiss suffered a heart attack. During the following decade, he wrote his monumental three-part novel, ''
The Aesthetics of Resistance ''The Aesthetics of Resistance'' (german: Die Ästhetik des Widerstands, 1975–1981) is a three-volume novel by the German-born playwright, novelist, filmmaker, and painter Peter Weiss which was written over a ten-year period between 1971 and 19 ...
'', as well as two very different stage versions of
Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typi ...
's novel ''
The Trial ''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and p ...
''. He died in Stockholm in 1982.


Painting, Film, and Literature

During his early life as a painter – 1930 to 1950 – Weiss was influenced by old Dutch masters such as Pieter Breughel, and
Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ;  – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oa ...
. After World War II his painting, as well as his work in film and literature, came under the lasting influence of
Surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
. He taught painting at Stockholm's People's University, and illustrated a Swedish edition of ''
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
''. In 1952 he joined the Swedish Experimental Film Studio, where he directed several experimental short films, followed by several socially conscious documentary shorts: ''Gesichter im Schatten'' (Faces in the Shadow, 1956), ''Im Namen des Gesetzes'' (In the Name of the Law, 1957), ''Was machen wir jetzt?'' (What Do We Do Now?, 1958). In 1959 he directed his only full length (experimental) film ''Hägringen'' ''(The Disappeared''). In the early 1950s, Weiss had begun to write again, producing a number of prose works, some in German, others in Swedish. Most are short, intense, surrealist text which suggest the influence of
Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typi ...
(whose work Weiss would later adapt for the stage). The most important of these prose texts is ''Der Schatten des Körpers des Kutschers'' (''The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman'', 1952). It is a nearly hermetic experimental work which explores language through the use of surreal, disturbing imagery whereby an apparent rural idyll is transformed into a kafkaesque nightmare. The Surrealist effect was enhanced by collages in the style of
Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism ...
, so-called xylography, which Peter Weiss created for the book. ''Coachman'' has been linked both to the French '' nouveau roman'' of
Alain Robbe-Grillet Alain Robbe-Grillet (; 18 August 1922 – 18 February 2008) was a French writer and filmmaker. He was one of the figures most associated with the '' Nouveau Roman'' (new novel) trend of the 1960s, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and C ...
and
Raymond Queneau Raymond Queneau (; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo ('' Ouvroir de littérature potentielle''), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau w ...
, as well as to French absurdist works by
Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...
,
Eugene Ionesco Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...
, and
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...
. When it was eventually published in Germany in 1960 it put its 45-year-old writer at the forefront of the West German literary scene. Weiss abandoned painting and filmmaking and turned exclusively to writing. Nearly all his subsequent works – and all of the major ones – are written in German. His next prose work, ''Abschied von den Eltern'' (''Leavetaking'', 1959/60) was less hermetic than ''Coachman'' and strongly autobiographical. It was not only a critical but also a public success, as was its follow-up ''Fluchtpunkt'' (''Vanishing Point'', 1962) Since the early 1950 Weiss had also been writing plays: ''Der Turm'' (''The Tower'', 1950), ''Die Versicherung'' (''The Insurance'', 1952), ''Nacht mit Gästen'' (''Night with Guests'', 1963), ''Wie dem Herrn Mockinpott das Leiden ausgetrieben wird'' ''(How Mister Mockinpott was Cured of His Sufferings'', 1963/68). But none of these stage works prepared the public for what came next: A play about the French Revolution which through its title alone became an overnight a sensation: ''"Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade'' (''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean Paul Marat As Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of Monsieur de Sade''). First performed in West Berlin in 1964, it quickly brought Weiss notoriety. The following year, 1965, British director
Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...
staged it at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in London. Brook's film version (1967) turned ''Marat/Sade'' into an international cultural icon. Set in an insane asylum and constantly in danger of being overwhelmed by madness and chaos, the play explores the place of writers and intellectuals in a time of revolutionary upheaval. At its center are two very different historical figures,
Jean-Paul Marat Jean-Paul Marat (; born Mara; 24 May 1743 – 13 July 1793) was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the ''sans-culottes'', a radical ...
, a writer and leading intellectual of the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, and the
Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusat ...
, a writer and intellectual as well, whose attitude towards the revolution is much more ambivalent and who is solipsistically obsessed with sex, violence, and pain. In the play Weiss draws both on
Antonin Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...
's Theater of Cruelty and on its opposite: Brecht's theater of reason. In the words of de Sade: "Our intent in creating such dialogues as these / was to experiment with various antitheses / to oppose each to each so that we might / upon our many doubts shed some light". Much of the discussion of the play has focused on whether it is Marat's or Sade's position which prevails. Beginning with ''Marat/Sade'' Weiss's work increasingly attracted the attention of communist East Germany. The play and all the ones to follow were staged in exemplary fashion in
Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...
and other theaters in the GDR. Weiss frequently visited East Berlin and became friends with many East German writers and artists. He developed a collaborative relationship and eventually a close friendship with Manfred Haiduk, professor of literature in Rostock. After Weiss wrote his play about Trotsky, which East German party functionaries interpreted as an anti-Leninist provocation, he for a while became
persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution. Diplomacy Under Article 9 of the ...
, but the relationship soon revived. Weiss was one of only a handful of western artists and intellectuals whose work attracted wide interest in both Germanies though in both states he was also subjected to distrust and denunciations. During this period Brecht's influence on Weiss's plays became more evident. He also became obsessed with
Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
's
Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...
the influence of which is present in all his works from the mid-1960s until his death. In 1965, Weiss wrote the documentary play ''
The Investigation ''The Investigation'' (original title ''Śledztwo'') is a science fiction/ detective/ thriller novel by the Polish writer Stanisław Lem. The novel incorporates a philosophical discourse on explanation of unknown phenomena. It was first publis ...
'' (''Die Ermittlung'') on the
Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials The Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, known in German as ''der Auschwitz-Prozess'', or ''der zweite Auschwitz-Prozess,'' (the "second Auschwitz trial") was a series of trials running from 20 December 1963 to 19 August 1965, charging 22 defendants unde ...
. ''Like Marat/Sade'' it attracted wide international attention and became the focus of heated debates about the 'right' way of representing Auschwitz and about who gets to decide what is acceptable and what is not. This was followed by two experimental plays about the struggle for self-determination in the 'Third World': ''Gesang vom lusitanischen Popanz'' (''Song of the Lusitanian Bogey'' better translation would be ''Canto of the Lusitanian Bogey''1967) about Angola, and ''Viet Nam Diskurs'' (''Viet Nam Discourse'', 1968). The next two plays once again focused on intellectuals and writers in times of upheaval: ''Trotzki im Exil'' (''Trotsky in Exile'', 1970)See Robert Cohen: "A Dream of Dada and Lenin: Peter Weiss's 'Trotsky in Exile'." In: ''Rethinking Peter Weiss''. Jost Hermand and Marc Silberman (eds.). Peter Lang, 2000. 151-73. and ''Hölderlin'' (1971). Between 1971 and 1981 Weiss worked on his opus magnum: his three part 1000 page novel on the European resistance against Nazi Germany, ''
The Aesthetics of Resistance ''The Aesthetics of Resistance'' (german: Die Ästhetik des Widerstands, 1975–1981) is a three-volume novel by the German-born playwright, novelist, filmmaker, and painter Peter Weiss which was written over a ten-year period between 1971 and 19 ...
''. Weiss received numerous awards, among them the Charles Veillon Award, 1963; the Lessing Prize, 1965; the
Heinrich Mann Prize The Heinrich Mann Prize () is an essay prize that has been awarded since 1953, first by the East German Academy of Arts, then by the Academy of Arts, Berlin. The prize, which comes with a €10,000 purse, is given annually on 27 March, Heinrich Ma ...
, 1966; the Carl Albert Anderson Prize, 1967; the Thomas Dehler Prize, 1978; the Cologne Literature Prize, 1981; the Bremen Literature Prize, 1982; the Swedish Theatre Critics Prize, 1982; and finally the highest German literary award, 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 ...
, 1982.


Selected works

All works were originally written in German unless otherwise noted. English translations and, where applicable, place of publication, publisher and date of English language publication, are in parentheses.


Plays

* 1949 ''Der Turm'' (''The Tower''. New York: Dutton, 1967, pp. 315–48) * 1952 ''Die Versicherung'' * 1963 ''Nacht mit Gästen'' (''Night with Guests''. In: ''The Best Short Plays 1968''. Philadelphia New York London: Chilton, 1968. 131-58.) * 1963/5 ''Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade'' (''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat As Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of Monsieur de Sade'' 'Marat/Sade'' In: Peter Weiss: ''Marat/Sade, The Investigation, and The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman''. New York: Continuum, 1998. 41–114.) * 1963/8 ''Wie dem Herrn Mockinpott das Leiden ausgetrieben wird'' (''How Mr. Mockinpott was Cured of his Sufferings''. In: ''The Contemporary German Theater''. New York: Avon, 1972, 163–211.) * 1965 ''Die Ermittlung'' (''The Investigation. Oratorio In 11 Cantos''. In: Peter Weiss: ''Marat/Sade, The Investigation, and The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman''. New York: Continuum, 1998. 117–296.) * 1967 ''Gesang vom lusitanischen Popanz'' (''Song of the Lusitanian Bogey''. In: Peter Weiss. ''Two Plays''. New York: Atheneum, 1970. 1–63) * 1968 ''Diskurs über die Vorgeschichte und den Verlauf des lang andauernden Befreiungskrieges in Viet Nam als Beispiel für die Notwendigkeit des bewaffneten Kampfes der Unterdrückten gegen ihre Unterdrücker sowie über die Versuche der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika die Grundlagen der Revolution zu vernichten'' (''Discourse on the Progress of the Prolonged War of Liberation in Viet Nam and the Events Leading up to it as Illustration of the Necessity for Armed Resistance against Oppression and on the Attempts of the United States of America to Destroy the Foundations of Revolution'' 'Viet Nam Discourse'' In: Peter Weiss. ''Two Plays''. New York: Atheneum, 1970. 65–249.) * 1969 ''Trotzki im Exil'' (''Trotsky in Exile''. New York: Atheneum, 1972.) * 1971 ''Hölderlin'' (''Hölderlin''. London New York Calcutta: Seagull Press. 2010.) * 1974 ''Der Prozeß'' – adaptation of
Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...
's novel * 1982 ''Der neue Prozeß'' (''The New Trial''. Durham: Duke UP, 2001.)


Prose Fiction

* 1944 ''Från ö till ö'' (''From Island to Island''; written in Swedish; German: ''Von Insel zu Insel'') * 1948 ''De besegrade'' (''The Conquered''; written in Swedish; German: ''Die Besiegten'') * 1948 ''Der Vogelfreie'' (published as ''Dokument I'' in Swedish (1949) and in German as ''Der Fremde'' under the pseudonym Sinclair) * 1951 ''Duellen'' (''The Duel''; written in Swedish; German: ''Das Duell'') * 1952 ''Der Schatten des Körpers des Kutschers'' (''The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman''. In: Peter Weiss: ''Marat/Sade, The Investigation, and The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman''. New York: Continuum, 1998. 1–39.) * 1956 ''Situationen'' (''The Situation''; written in Swedish; German: ''Die Situation'') * 1960 ''Abschied von den Eltern'' (''Leavetaking''. In: Peter Weiss, ''Exile''. New York: Delacorte, 1968, 1–88) * 1961 ''Fluchtpunkt'' (''Vanishing Point''. In: Weiss, ''Exile''. New York: Delacorte, 1968. 89–245.) These two pieces (Leavetaking & Vanishing Point) were published in English (from a translation by Christopher Levenson) in 1966 and published by Calder & Boyars * 1962 ''Das Gespräch der drei Gehenden'' (''Conversation of the Three Wayfarers''. In: Peter Weiss, ''Bodies and Shadows'', New York: Delacorte, 1969. 59–120.) * 1975–1981 ''Die Ästhetik des Widerstands'', 3 vols., I: 1975; II: 1978; III: 1981. (''The Aesthetics of Resistance''. Vol. I. Durham: Duke UP, 2005. Vol. II. Durham: Duke UP, 2020)


Other writings

* 1956 ''Avantgarde Film'' (written in Swedish) * 1964 "Meine Ortschaft" ("My Place." In: ''German Writing Today''. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967. 20–28.) * 1965 "10 Arbeitspunkte eines Autors in der geteilten Welt." ("The Necessary Decision. 10 Working Theses of an Author in the Divided World." ''Chalk Circle'', vol. 1, 1 (April–May)/1966, 3–7. * 1966 "I Come out of my hiding place." ''The Nation'', 30 May 1966, pp. 652, 655. (Written in English by Peter Weiss.) * 1968 ''Rapporte'' (Collected essays) * 1968 ''Notizen zum kulturellen Leben der Demokratischen Republik Viet Nam''. (''Notes on the Cultural Life of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.'' London: Calder & Boyars, 1971.) * 1968 "Notizen zum dokumentarischen Theater" ("Notes on the Contemporary Theater." In: ''Essays on German Theater''. New York: Continuum, 1985. 294–301.) * 1970 ''Rekonvaleszenz'' * 1971 ''Rapporte 2'' (Collected essays) * 1981 ''Notizbücher 1971–1980'' (Notebooks 1971–1980, 2 vols.) * 1982 ''Notizbücher 1960–1971'' (Notebooks 1960–1972, 2 vols.)


Films

* 1952 ''Studie I (Uppvaknandet)'' Sweden, 16mm, 6min) * 1952 ''Studie II (Hallucinationer) / Study II (Hallucinations)'' (Sweden, 16mm, 6min) * 1953 ''Studie III / Study III'' (Sweden, 16mm, 6min) * 1954 ''Studie IV (Frigörelse) / Study IV (Liberation)'', (Sweden, 16mm, 9min) * 1955 ''Studie V (Växelspel)/Study V (Interplay)'',(Sweden, 16mm, 9min) * 1956 ''Ateljeinteriör / Dr. Fausts Studierstube(Atelierinterieur)'' (Sweden, 10 min) * 1956 ''Ansikten I Skugga / Faces in the shadow'' (Sweden, 13 min) * 1957 ''Enligt Lag / According To Law'' (co-dir. Hans Nordenström, Sweden, 16mm, 18 min) * 1958 ''Vad ska vi göra nu da? / Was machen wir jetzt?'' (Sweden, 20min) * 1959 ''Hägringen / Fata Morgana'' (Sweden, 81min) Starring: Staffan Lamm and Gunilla Palmstierna. * 1961 ''Svenska flickor i Paris'' / ''Swedish Girls in Paris'' (co-director)


Published correspondence

* 1992 ''Peter Weiss. Briefe an Hermann Levin Goldschmidt, Hermann Lewin Goldschmidt und
Robert Jungk Robert Jungk (; born ''Robert Baum'', also known as ''Robert Baum-Jungk''; 11 May 1913 – 14 July 1994) was an Austrian writer, journalist, historian and peace campaigner who wrote mostly on issues relating to nuclear weapons. Life Jungk was bor ...
1938–1980''. Leipzig: Reclam. * 2007 ''Siegfried Unseld, Peter Weiss: Der Briefwechsel''. Hrsg. von Rainer Gerlach. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. * 2009 ''
Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...
, Peter Weiss. "Verehrter großer Zauberer" – Briefwechsel 1937–1962''. Hrsg. von Beat Mazenauer und Volker Michels. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. * 2010 ''Diesseits und jenseits der Grenze. Peter Weiss – Manfred Haiduk. Der Briefwechsel 1965–1982''. Hrsg. von Rainer Gerlach und Jürgen Schutte. St. Ingbert: Röhrig. * 2011 ''Peter Weiss – Briefe an Henriette Itta Blumenthal.'' Hrsg. von Angela Abmeier und Hannes Bajohr. Berlin: Matthes und Seitz.


Interviews

* Alvarez, A., "The Truths That are Uttered in a Madhouse." ''The New York Times'', 26 December 1965, Section X, p. 3, 14. * Clausen, Oliver, "Weiss/Propagandist and Weiss/Playwright." ''The New York Times Magazine,'' 2 October 1966, pp. 28–29, 124–34. * Gray, Paul, "A Living World: An Interview with Peter Weiss." ''Tulane Drama Review'' 11.1 (1966). * Roloff, Michael, "An Interview with Peter Weiss." ''Partisan Review'' 32/1965, 220–32. * Shepard, Richard F., "Peter Weiss, Visiting Here, Talks About his Auschwitz Trial Play." ''The New York Times'', 22 April 1966, S. 30. * Wager, Walter, "Peter Weiss", in: Wager (ed.), ''The Playwrights Speak'', New York, Delacorte 1967, 189–212.


References


Further reading

* Robert Cohen: ''Understanding Peter Weiss''. Trans. Martha Humphreys. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1993. * ''Peter Weiss''. Rainer Gerlach (ed.). Frankfurt/Main, 1984. * ''Peter Weiss. Leben und Werk''. Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss and Jürgen Schutte (eds.). Frankfurt/Main 1991. * Manfred Haiduk: ''Der Dramatiker Peter Weiss''. Berlin, 1977. * ''Rethinking Peter Weiss''. Jost Hermand and Marc Silberman (eds.). Peter Lang, 2000. * W.G. Sebald. "The Remorse of the Heart: On Memory and Cruelty in the Work of Peter Weiss." On the Natural History of Destruction. Trans. Anthea Bell. Alfred Knopf, 2003.


External links

*
''Marat/Sade''
at the '' complete review''
''Inferno''
at the '' complete review''
''The Investigation''
at the '' complete review'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Peter 1916 births 1982 deaths Jewish German writers Jewish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Swedish dramatists and playwrights Swedish male dramatists and playwrights Swedish communists Heinrich Mann Prize winners Tony Award winners Anti–Vietnam War activists Georg Büchner Prize winners German Christians German people of Hungarian-Jewish descent German people of Swiss descent Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Sweden German expatriates in the Czech Republic Naturalized citizens of Sweden People from the Province of Brandenburg People from Potsdam 20th-century German dramatists and playwrights German male dramatists and playwrights