Helmut Flieg or Hellmuth Fliegel
(10 April 1913 – 16 December 2001) was a German writer, known by his pseudonym Stefan Heym (). He lived in the United States and trained at
Camp Ritchie
Fort Ritchie at Cascade, Maryland was a military installation southwest of Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania and southeast of Waynesboro in the area of South Mountain. Following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, it closed in 199 ...
, making him one of the
Ritchie Boys of World War II. In 1952, he returned to his home to the part of his native Germany which was, from 1949 to 1990, the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**G ...
(GDR, "East Germany"). He published works in English and German at home and abroad, and despite longstanding criticism of the GDR remained a committed socialist. He was awarded the 1953
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 ...
, the 1959
National Prize of East Germany
The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (german: Nationalpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik) was an award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, ...
(2nd class), and the 1993
Jerusalem Prize
The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society.
It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously k ...
.
Biography
Early years
Flieg, born to a Jewish merchant family in
Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany ...
, was an
antifascist from an early age. In 1931, he was, at the instigation of local
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 N ...
, expelled from the
Gymnasium in his home town because of an
anti-military poem. He completed school in
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 constitu ...
, and began a degree in
media studies
Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostl ...
there. After the 1933
Reichstag fire
The Reichstag fire (german: Reichstagsbrand, ) was an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Monday 27 February 1933, precisely four weeks after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of ...
, he fled to
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, where he took the name Stefan Heym.
In Czechoslovakia, the only remaining democracy in Central Europe at that time, he worked for German newspapers published in Prague such as ''
Prager Tagblatt'' and ''
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
'' and also managed to have some of his articles published in translation by Czech newspapers. During this time he signed his articles under several pseudonyms, including Melchior Douglas, Gregor Holm and Stefan Heym.
United States
In 1935, he received a grant from a Jewish student association, and went to the United States to continue his degree at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
, which he completed in 1936 with a dissertation on
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...
. Between 1937 and 1939 he was based in New York as Editor-in-Chief of the German-language weekly ''
Deutsches Volksecho'', which was close to the
Communist Party of the USA. After the newspaper ceased publication in November 1939, Heym worked as a freelance author in English, and achieved a bestseller with his first novel, ''Hostages'' (1942).
From 1943, Heym (who had become a U.S. citizen), contributed to the
World War II
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
war effort. He was a member of the
Ritchie Boys, a unit for
psychological warfare
Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and M ...
under the command of
émigré Hans Habe. His work consisted of composing texts designed to influence
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 previo ...
soldiers, to be disseminated by leaflet, radio and loudspeaker. These experiences formed the background for a later novel, ''The Crusaders'', and were the basis for ''Reden an den Feind'' (''Speeches to the Enemy''), a collection of those texts.
After the war Heym led the ''
Ruhrzeitung'' in
Essen
Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Do ...
, and then became editor 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 ...
of ''
Die Neue Zeitung
''Die Neue Zeitung'' (''"The New Times"'', abbreviated ''NZ'') was a newspaper published in the American Occupation Zone of Germany after the Second World War. It was comparable to the daily newspaper ''Die Welt'' in the British Occupation Zone ...
'', one of the most important newspapers of the American occupying forces. Because of his refusal to soften his critical stance toward Nazism and the German elites that had collaborated with it and his refusal to begin to discreetly weave doubts about Soviet intentions into his editorials, Heym was transferred back to the U.S. toward the end of 1945 and was discharged because of an allegedly "procommunistic" mindset.
In the following years he worked as a freelance author once again. In 1952 he gave all his American military commendations back in protest against the
Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
and moved first to
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 ...
, then in the following year to the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**G ...
(GDR, "East Germany").
GDR
In the GDR, Heym initially received privileged treatment as a returning antifascist emigre. He lived with his wife in a state-provided villa in
Berlin-Grünau. Between 1953 and 1956, he worked at the ''
Berliner Zeitung
The ''Berliner Zeitung'' (, ''Berlin Newspaper'') is a daily newspaper based in Berlin, Germany. Founded in East Germany in 1945, it is the only East German paper to achieve national prominence since reunification. It is published by Berliner ...
'', thereafter primarily as a freelance author. In the early years of his life in the GDR, Heym supported the regime with socialist novels and other works. Heym's works, which he continued to write in English, were published by a publishing house founded for him (Seven Seas Publishers). In German, translations were printed in large numbers.
Conflicts with the GDR authorities became apparent from 1956 on, as despite the
destalinisation
De-Stalinization (russian: десталинизация, translit=destalinizatsiya) comprised a series of political reforms in the Soviet Union after the death of long-time leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, and the thaw brought about by ascension ...
of the leadership, the publication of Heym's book on the
June 17, 1953, uprising, ''Five Days in June'', was rejected. Tensions increased after 1965, when
Erich Honecker attacked Heym during an
SED party conference. In 1969, Heym was convicted of breaching the exchange control regulations after publishing his novel ''Lassalle'' in
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
. He was nonetheless able to leave the GDR on foreign trips, such as his two-month visit to the U.S. in 1978, and his books continued to appear, albeit in lower print runs, in the GDR.
In 1976, Heym was among those GDR authors who signed the petition protesting against the exile of
Wolf Biermann
Karl Wolf Biermann (; born 15 November 1936) is a German singer-songwriter, poet, and former East German dissident. He is perhaps best known for the 1968 song " Ermutigung" and his expatriation from East Germany in 1976.
Early life
Biermann was ...
. From this point on Heym could only publish his works in the West, and he began composing works in German. In 1979, he was again convicted of breaching exchange controls and excluded from the GDR Authors Association. Heym expressed support for
German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
as early as 1982, and during the 1980s supported the civil rights movement in the GDR, contributing a number of speeches to the
East Berlin
East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as West Berlin. From 13 August 1961 u ...
demonstrations in autumn 1989.
After reunification
In the years after reunification, Heym was critical of what he saw as the discrimination against East Germans in their integration into the Federal Republic, and argued for a socialist alternative to the capitalism of the reunited Germany. At the federal elections in 1994, Heym stood as an independent on the Open List of the then
Party of Democratic Socialism, and won direct election to the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Comm ...
from the seat of
Berlin-Mitte
Mitte () (German for "middle" or "center") is a central locality () of Berlin in the eponymous district () of Mitte. Until 2001, it was itself an autonomous district.
Mitte proper comprises the historic center of Alt-Berlin centered on the ch ...
/Prenzlauer-Berg.
As chairman by seniority he held the opening speech of the new Parliament in November 1994, but resigned in October 1995 in protest against a planned constitutional amendment raising MP expense allowances. In 1997, he was among the signers of the "Erfurt Declaration", demanding a red-green alliance (between
SPD and Greens) to form a minority government supported by the PDS after the 1998 federal elections. He died suddenly of heart failure in
Ein Bokek in Israel whilst attending a Heinrich Heine Conference.
Heym was honoured with
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
s from the
University of Bern
The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a compreh ...
(1990) and
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
(1991), and
honorary citizenship
Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...
of
Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany ...
, his birthplace (2001). He was also awarded the
Jerusalem Prize
The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society.
It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously k ...
(1993) for literature 'for the freedom of the individual in society', and the peace medal of the
IPPNW
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) is a non-partisan federation of national medical groups in 63 countries, representing doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned people who share the goal of ...
. Previously he had won the Heinrich-Mann-Prize (1953), and the
National Prize of the GDR
The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (german: Nationalpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik) was an award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, ...
, 2nd class (1959). He died in 2001, aged 88, and was buried in the
Weißensee Cemetery.
Works
Written in English
* ''Nazis in the U.S.A.'', New York 1938
* ''Hostages'', New York 1942
* ''Of Smiling Peace'', Boston 1944
* ''The Crusaders'', Boston 1948
* ''The Eyes of Reason'', Boston 1951
* ''
Goldsborough'', Leipzig 1953
* ''The Cannibals and Other Stories'', Berlin 1958
* ''A visit to Soviet science'', New York 1959;
* ''The Cosmic Age'', New Delhi 1959
* ''Shadows and Lights'', London 1963
* ''The Lenz Papers'', London 1964 – concerns the
failed revolutions in Germany in 1848, specifically the 1849
Baden Revolution.
* ''The Architects'' written c 1963 – 1965, unpublished (published in German as ''Die Architekten'', Munich 2000; published in English under "The Architects" by Northwestern in 2005; )
* ''Uncertain Friend'', London 1969
* ''The King David Report'', New York 1973
- giving many anecdotes of
King David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
's life which did not get into the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...
(see
Ethan (biblical figure)#In Literature).
* ''The Queen against Defoe'', London 1975
* ''Five Days in June'', London 1977 (concerning the 1953 uprisings in the GDR)
* ''Collin'', London 1980
Written in German
* ''Collin'' (1979)
* ''Der kleine König, der ein Kind kriegen mußte und andere neue Märchen für kluge Kinder'' (1979)
* ''Ahasver'' (1981) – published in English as ''
The Wandering Jew'' (1984)
* ''Atta Troll. Versuch einer Analyse'' (1983 )
* ''Schwarzenberg'' (1984) – novel about the
Free Republic of Schwarzenberg
The Free Republic of Schwarzenberg (german: Freie Republik Schwarzenberg) is a term applied to portions of western Saxony that were briefly not occupied by the Allies after the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. These districts of Saxony ...
* ''Reden an den Feind'' (1986)
* ''Nachruf'' (1988) – autobiography
* ''Meine Cousine, die Hexe und weitere Märchen für kluge Kinder'' (1989)
* ''Auf Sand gebaut'' (1990) – short stories
* ''Stalin verlässt den Raum'' (1990) – political writings
* ''Einmischung'' (1990)
* ''Filz'' (1992)
* ''
Radek'' (1995)
* ''Der Winter unsers Missvergnügens'' (1996)
* ''Immer sind die Weiber weg und andere Weisheiten'' (1997)
* ''Pargfrider'' (1998)
* ''Immer sind die Männer schuld'' (2002)
* ''Offene Worte in eigener Sache'' (2003)
References
Further reading
* Małgorzata Dubrowska: ''Auseinandersetzung mit der jüdischen Identität in Werken ausgewählter Schriftsteller aus der DDR'', Lublin, 2002; .
* Hermann Gellermann: ''Stefan Heym: Judentum und Sozialismus. Zusammenhänge und Probleme in Literatur und Gesellschaft'', Berlin, 2002;
* Regina U. Hahn: ''The democratic dream'', Oxford, 2003;
* Peter Hutchinson: ''Stefan Heym: The perpetual dissident'', Cambridge, 1992;
* Peter Hutchinson (ed.): ''Stefan Heym: Socialist – dissenter – Jew'', Oxford, 2003;
*
Gabrielle Oberhänsli-Widmer
Gabrielle Oberhänsli-Widmer (born June 16, 1957, in Menziken, Switzerland), is Professor of Jewish studies at the University of Freiburg.
Biography
After her education Gabrielle Oberhänsli-Widmer worked as Teacher at the comprehensive school ...
: ''Stefan Heym Ahasver (1981)'', Kirche und Israel: KuI; Neukirchener theologische Zeitschrift 23 (2008), S. 166–77
FreiDok plus - Stefan Heym: Ahasver (1981)* Meg Tait: ''Taking sides: Stefan Heym’s historical fiction'', Oxford, 2001;
* Dennis Tate: ''Shifting perspectives: East German autobiographical narratives before and after the end of the GDR'', Columbia (SC), 2007;
* Reinhard K. Zachau: ''Stefan Heym'', München, 1982;
External links
International Stefan Heym Associationbook essay by Elizabeth Clark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heym, Stefan
1913 births
2001 deaths
20th-century German novelists
American male novelists
United States Army personnel of World War II
East German dissidents
East German writers
Exophonic writers
German male novelists
German socialists
Heinrich Mann Prize winners
Jerusalem Prize recipients
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States
Jewish novelists
Jewish socialists
Members of the Bundestag for Berlin
Members of the Bundestag 1994–1998
People from Chemnitz
People from the Kingdom of Saxony
United States Army soldiers
University of Chicago alumni
Writers from Saxony
Alterspräsidents of the Bundestag
American emigrants to East Germany
Jewish American military personnel
Members of the Bundestag for the Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)
Ritchie Boys