Alexander Abusch (14 February 1902 27 January 1982) was a German journalist, non-fiction writer, and politician. According to one source he was born into a Jewish family in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. According to another source, he was born in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, where, in the suburb of Gostenhof, he grew up, attended school, served his apprenticeship and had his first full-time job. His father worked as a

coachman A coachman is an employee who drives a coach or carriage, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of passengers. A coachman has also been called a coachee, coachy, whip, or hackman. The coachman's first concern is to remain in full c ...

and scrap metal dealer, and later opened a hat shop. His mother also worked as a small trader. Abusch joined the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...

(KPD) in 1918. He was editor of several KPD publications. In 1937, he became part of the exiled KPD leadership in Paris, later in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

. In 1941, he moved to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

, where he became a member of the Free Germany Movement. Between 1948 and 1950 he was part of the party leadership of the

Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (german: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, ; SED, ), often known in English as the East German Communist Party, was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East German ...

. Between 1958 and 1961 he served as Minister of Culture of 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 ...

(East Germany). It was in his role as Minister of Culture that he ordered the demolition of princely castle of Putbus on Rügen, which was considered the most beautiful in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.Ralph Sommer, Verein will Schloss Putbus auf Rügen wieder aufbauen, ''Nordkurier'', 8 December 20

/ref> He published under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Ernst Reinhardt.

References

1902 births 1982 deaths 20th-century German politicians Communist Party of Germany politicians Members of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany Cultural Association of the GDR members Government ministers of East Germany Members of the Volkskammer People of the Stasi German male writers National Committee for a Free Germany members Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp) Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany Jewish socialists German expatriates in Mexico Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to France Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) {{Germany-politician-stub