Franz Fühmann
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Franz Fühmann (15 January 1922 – 8 July 1984) was a German writer who lived and worked in
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. He wrote in a variety of formats, including short stories, essays, screenplays and children's books. Influenced by
Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
in his youth, he later embraced (and renounced) socialism.


Life

Fühmann was the son of an apothecary in Rochlitz an der Iser ( Rokytnice nad Jizerou) in the
Karkonosze The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše, or Karkonosze (Czech: , , ), are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). The Czech–Polish bord ...
in
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. After
Volksschule The German term ''Volksschule'' () generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend. In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primar ...
he attended the Jesuitenkonvikt Kalksburg near
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
for four years, leaving in 1936 to attend the gymnasium in Reichenberg (
Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...
), northern Bohemia. Fühmann took his ''
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
'' exams in
Vrchlabí Vrchlabí (; , ) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. It lies at the foot of the Giant Mountains on the river Elbe. The town centre with the castle complex, monastery c ...
. After the annexation of the
Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and ) is a 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 border districts of Bohe ...
by Germany, he joined the ''
Sturmabteilung The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...
''. Fühmann was drafted into the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
in 1941, and was a communications soldier in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
and the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. He was captured by Soviet forces in 1945 and sent to a communist rehabilitation school in
Noginsk Noginsk (), known as Bogorodsk () until 1930, is a Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Noginsky District, Bogorodsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located east of the Moscow Ring Road on ...
, near Moscow. Fühmann returned from Soviet captivity to
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, where he lived for the rest of his life in
Märkisch Buchholz Märkisch Buchholz () is a small town in the Dahme-Spreewald district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Dahme (river), Dahme, 20 km northwest of Lübben (Spreewald) and resp. 50 km southeast of Berlin. Overview The to ...
and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. He joined the
National Democratic Party of Germany National Democratic Party of Germany (, NPD), officially called The Homeland () since 2023, is a Far-right politics, far-right, Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi and Ultranationalism, ultranationalist political party in Germany. It was founded in 1964 as ...
, one of the bloc parties, was active until 1958 and resigned from the party in 1972. From 1952 until his death, Fühmann was a freelance writer. He mentored young writers, and spoke for those under East German repression. In 1976, Fühmann was among the first to sign a letter protesting 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 ...
. He received the 1956
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 1957 and 1974
National Prize of East Germany The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) () was an award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, and other meritorious achievement. With scientific achievem ...
, the 1977 German Critics' Award and the 1982 Geschwister-Scholl-Preis, and was a member of the
Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...
.


Work

Fühmann's work includes
poems Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
, translations of Czech and Hungarian poems, books for children and young adults, essays, stories, a ballet (''Kirke und Odysseus'') and a collaboration with a photographer (''Was für eine Insel in was für einem Meer'') about the
developmentally disabled Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...
. He also compiled a volume of poems by rearranging parts of a rhyming dictionary and furnishing it with headings. Works for children and young people were important to Fühmann throughout his life, and he published his first children's book at the wish of his daughter Barbara. Among Fühmann's children's books are
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
s, puppet plays, plays on the German language (''Lustiges Tier-ABC'', ''Die dampfenden Hälse der Pferde im Turm von Babel'') and retellings of classical literature (''Reineke Fuchs'', ''Das Hölzerne Pferd'' he ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey">Iliad.html" ;"title="he ''Iliad">he ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey''] and Prometheus [''Die Titanenschlacht'']), and he corresponded with many young readers. Many of Fühmann's early short stories are autobiographical, and in ''Das Judenauto'' he describes memories of his childhood and youth. He later dealt with his involvement in
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. The concept and the possibility of "change" (in his case, from a supporter of
Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
to a dedicated socialist) were especially important to Fühmann, and play a leading role in ''Zweiundzwanzig Tage oder Die Hälfte des Lebens'' (one of his major works, a spare
diary A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digita ...
of a trip to Hungary). In his work, Fühmann emphasized fairly tales,
saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
s and
myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
s. This preoccupation penetrates many of his books, from his children's books to his short stories (''Das Ohr des Dionysios'') and essays. With the latter, Fühmann encouraged the publication of authors whose work had rarely appeared in East Germany (such as Georg Trakl and
Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
). Beginning with ''Zweiundzwanzig Tage'', Fühmann increasingly criticized the socialist society of East Germany. In a number of letters and later speeches, he attempted to convince East German politicians to change their policies regarding culture. This attitude became more visible in his work, especially in ''Saiäns-fiktschen''. He withdrew from his connections to cultural politics in East Germany, such as the '' Schriftstellerverband der DDR'' (Writers' Union of East Germany) and the ''Akademie der Künste''. In later life he began to despair of the political conditions in East Germany (as reflected in his correspondence with
Christa Wolf Christa Wolf (; Ihlenfeld; 18 March 1929 – 1 December 2011) was a German novelist and essayist. She is considered one of the most important writers to emerge from the former East Germany.Historische Sammlungen'' of the ''
Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin The Berlin Central and Regional Library () or ZLB is the official library of the City and State of Berlin, Germany. It was established as a Foundation by two State laws, initially in 1995 and amended in 2005, combining the following institutions: ...
''. His work still interests young artists (such as Barbara Gauger), and the ''Franz Fühmann Freundeskreis Märkisch Buchholz'' in Berlin illustrates its extent.


Bibliography


Literature for children and young adults

* "Die Suche nach dem wunderbunten Vögelchen" ("The Search for the Wonderfully-Colored Little Bird") (short story). Der Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin (1960) * "Lustiges Tier-ABC" ("Merry Animal Alphabet") (lyrical poem). Der Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin (1962) * ''Das hölzerne Pferd: die Sage vom Untergang Trojas und von den Irrfahrten des Odysseus. Nach Homer und anderen Quellen neu erzählt'' (''The Wooden Horse: The Saga of Troy's Decline and the Wandering of Odysseus. New Narrative from Homer and Other Sources''). Neues Leben, Berlin (1968) * ''Shakespeare-Märchen'' (''Shakespeare Tales''). Der Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin (1968) * ''Prometheus: Die Titanenschlacht'' (''Prometheus: The Titanic Battle'') (novel). Der Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin (1974) * ''Die dampfenden Hälse der Pferde im Turm von Babel'' (''The Steaming Necks of the Horses in the Tower of Babel''). Der Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin (1978) (reprint: Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock 2005) * ''Schlipperdibix und Klapperdibax!'' (''Two Clown Pieces''). Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock, 1985 (second edition 1989) * ''Märchen auf Bestellung'' (''Fairy Tales'') edited by Ingrid Prignitz. Hinstorff, Rostock (1990)


Poems and fairy tales

* "Die Fahrt nach Stalingrad" ("The Trip to Stalingrad") (poem). Aufbau, Berlin (1953) * ''Die Richtung der Märchen'' (''The Direction of Fairy Tales''). Aufbau, Berlin (1962) * Miklós Radnóti: ''Ansichtskarten'' (''Picture Postcards''). Volk und Welt, Berlin (1967)


Stories

* ''Kameraden'' (''Comrades'') (novella). Aufbau, Berlin (1955) * ''Kabelkran und blauer Peter'' (''Cable Crane and Blue Peter''). Hinstorff, Rostock (1961) * ''Böhmen am Meer'' (''Bohemia by the Sea'') (novella). Hinstorff, Rostock (1962) * ''Das Judenauto'' (''The Jewish Car'') (short stories). Aufbau, Berlin (1962) * "Barlach in Güstrow" (short story). Hinstorff, Rostock (1963) * ''König Ödipus'' (''King Oedipus'') (short stories). Aufbau, Berlin (1966) * ''Zweiundzwanzig Tage oder Die Hälfte des Lebens'' (''Twenty-Two Days, or Half a Life'') (diary). Hinstorff, Rostock (1973) * ''Der Geliebte der Morgenröte'' (''The Lover of Aurora'') (short stories). Hinstorff, Rostock (1978) * ''Saiäns-fiktschen'' (short stories). Hinstorff, Rostock (1981) * ''Kirke und Odysseus'' (ballet). Hinstorff, Rostock (1984) * ''Das Ohr des Dionysios'' (''The Ear of Dionysus'') (posthumous short stories), edited by Ingrid Prignitz. Hinstorff, Rostock (1985)


Essays

* ''Das mythische Element in der Literatur'' (''The Mythical Element in Literature''). Revised and expanded in: ''Erfahrungen und Widersprüche. Versuche über Literatur'' (''Experiences and Contradictions: Essays About Literature''). Hinstorff, Rostock (1975) * ''Vor Feuerschlünden. Erfahrung mit Georg Trakls Gedicht'' (''From the Fiery Jaws: Experience with Georg Trakl's Poetry''). Hinstorff, Rostock (1982) * ''Meine Bibel; Erfahrungen'' (''My Bible: Experience''). Reclam, Leipzig (1983)


Other literary forms

* ''Was für eine Insel in was für einem Meer. Leben mit geistig Behinderten'' (''What Kind of Island in What Kind of Sea: Life with the Developmentally Disabled'') (photographs by Dietmar Riemann). Rostock: Hinstorff (1985) * ''Die Schatten. Hörspiel'' (''The Shadows'') (radio play, edited by Ingrid Prignitz). Rostock: Hinstorff (1986) * ''Urworte. Deutsch. Aus Steputats Reimlexikon'' (''Primitive Words
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From 'Steputat's Rhyming Dictionary''), edited by Ingrid Prignitz. Rostock: Hinstorff (1988) * ''Alkestis. Libretto'' (edited by Ingrid Prignitz). Rostock: Hinstorff (1989)


Collections

* ''Im Berg. Texte aus dem Nachlaß'' (''In the Mountain: Works From the Estate''), edited by Ingrid Prignitz. Rostock: Hinstorff (1991) * ''Prometheus. Die Zeugung'' (''Prometheus: The Procreation''), edited by Sigurd Schmidt. Rostock: Hinstorff (1996) * ''Das Ruppiner Tagebuch'' (''The Ruppin Diary''). Rostock: Hinstorff (2005) *''Autorisierte Werkausgaben in Einzelbänden''. Rostock: Hinstorff (1977–1988) ** ''Erzählungen 1955–1975'' (1977) ** ''Gedichte und Nachdichtungen'' (1978) ** ''Das Judenauto'', ''Kabelkran und Blauer Peter'', ''Zweiundzwanzig Tage oder Die Hälfte des Lebens'' (1979) ** ''Irrfahrt und Heimkehr der Odysseus, Prometheus'', ''Der Geliebte der Morgenröte und andere Erzählungen'' (1980) ** ''Reineke Fuchs, Märchen nach Shakespeare'', ''Das Nibelungenlied, Märchen auf Bestellung'' (1981) ** ''Essays, Gespräche'' (''Essays 1964–1981'') (1983) ** ''Vor Feuerschlünden. Erfahrung mit Georg Trakls Gedicht'' (1984) ** ''Simplicius Simplicissimus'', ''Der Nibelunge Not und andere Arbeiten für den Film'' (1987) ** ''Unter den PARANYAS'' (''Dream Experiences and Notations'') (1988)


Letters

* ''Briefe. 1950–1984. Eine Auswahl'' (''Letters 1950–1984: A Selection''), edited by Hans-Jürgen Schmitt. Rostock: Hinstorff (1994) * ''Monsieur – wir finden uns wieder. Briefe 1968–1984'' (''Monsieur – We Find Ourselves Again: Correspondence with Christa Wolf''), edited by Angela Drescher. Berlin: Aufbau (1995) * Margarete Hannsmann: ''Protokolle aus der Dämmerung. 1977–1984. Begegnungen und Briefwechsel zwischen Franz Fühmann, Margarete Hannsmann und HAP Grieshaber'' (''Protocols from the Dawn, 1977–1984: Meetings and Correspondence Between Franz Fühmann, Margarete Hannsmann and HAP Grieshaber''). Rostock: Hinstorff (2000) * ''Briefe aus der Werkstatt des Nachdichters. Mitgeteilt vom Addressaten Paul Kárpáti'' (''Letters from the Workplace of the Nachdichter: Communicated by the Addressee, Paul Kárpáti''). Leipzig, Budapest: Engelsdorfer Verlag, Argumentum Kiadó (2007)


Filmography

Films based on Franz Fühmann's works, or for which he wrote the script: * '' Betrogen bis zum jüngsten Tag'' (''Duped Till Doomsday'') (1957): Directed by Kurt Jung-Alsen (with
Rudolf Ulrich Rudolf Ulrich (3 January 1922 – 4 April 1997) was a German film actor. He appeared in 67 films between 1954 and 1986. He died in Berlin at age 75. Filmography References External links

* 1922 births 1997 deaths German male fil ...
and
Wolfgang Kieling Wolfgang Kieling (16 March 1924 – 7 October 1985) was a German actor. Biography In films since childhood in his native Germany, Kieling appeared in a few American films, notably in Alfred Hitchcock's '' Torn Curtain'' (1966), where he playe ...
) from ''Kameraden'' * ''Die heute über 40 sind'' (1960): Directed by Kurt Jung-Alsen (with Rudolf Ulrich). Script: Franz Fühmann * ''Der Schwur des Soldaten Pooley'' (''The Oath of Soldier Pooley'') (1962): Directed by Kurt Jung-Alsen. Script: Franz Fühmann * ''Die Suche nach dem wunderbunten Vögelchen'' (1964): Directed by Rolf Losansky (with Lieselott Baumgarten and
Fred Delmare Werner Vorndran (24 April 1922 – 1 May 2009), known professionally as Fred Delmare, was a German actor. Life and work Werner Vorndran was the son of a carpenter and a seamstress and grew up in Hüttensteinach at Sonneberg in Thuringia, wh ...
) from the children's story of the same name * ''Köpfchen Kamerad'' (1965): Directed by Otto Holub (with Fred Delmare). Script: Franz Fühmann * ''Der verlorene Engel'' (''The Lost Angel'') (1966): Directed by
Ralf Kirsten Ralf Kirsten (30 May 1930 – 23 January 1998) was a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 22 films between 1955 and 1986. His 1984 film '' Where Others Keep Silent'' was entered into the 14th Moscow International Film Festival. ...
from the novella, ''Das schlimme Jahr'' * ''Das Geheimnis des Ödipus'' (''The Secret of Oedipus'') (1973–74): Directed by Kurt Jung-Alsen. Script: Franz Fühmann * ' (1991): Directed by
Rainer Simon Rainer Simon (born 11 January 1941) is a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1964 and 2000. His '' How to Marry a King'' (1969) and '' Six Make it Through the World'' (1972) are highly imaginative adaptations of f ...
(with Matthias Habich and Jan Josef Liefers) from the short story, "''König Ödipus''"


References


Further reading

* Born, Arne. ''Fühmanns Offener Brief vom November 1977''. Ein Postulat und seine Unterdrückung. Mit unveröffentlichten Schriftstücken'' (''Fühmann's Public Letters from November 1977: A Postulant and His Oppression, With Unpublished Writings). In ''Berliner Hefte zur Geschichte des literarischen Lebens'' (''Berlin Journal of the History of Literary Lives'') 3 (2000), pp. 81–115. * Heinze, Barbara (editor). ''Franz Fühmann: eine Biographie in Bildern, Dokumenten und Briefen'' (''Franz Fühmann: A Biography in Pictures, Documents and Letters''). Foreword by Sigrid Damm. Rostock: Hinstorff Verlag, 1998. * Richter, Hans. ''Franz Fühmann. Ein deutsches Dichterleben'' (''Franz Fühmann. A German Poet's Life''). Berlin: Aufbau Verlag, 1992. * Robinson, Benjamin. ''The Skin of the System: On Germany's Socialist Modernity.'' Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 2009. * Sachse, Christian. ''Der schwarze Stoff, aus dem die Wahrheit ist. Franz Fühmann auf der Suche nach seiner Wahrheit'' (''The Black Stuff From Which Truth Comes: Franz Fühmann on His Search for Truth''). In: ''Zeitschrift des Forschungsverbundes SED-Staat'' (''Journal of the SED State Research Union'') Nr. 15/2003. * Simon, Horst (editor). ''Zwischen Erzählen und Schweigen. Ein Buch des Erinnerns und Gedenkens. Franz Fühmann zum 65.'' (''Between Stories and Silence: A Book of Memories and Memorials—Franz Fühmann to 65'') Rostock: Hinstorff, 1987 (contains a biography and reviews of his work) * * Wagner, Irmgard. ''Franz Fühmann. Nachdenken über Literatur'' (''Franz Fühmann: Thinking About Literature''). Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitärsverlag, 1989.


External links


Literature by and on Franz Fühmann
in the catalog of the
German National Library The German National Library (DNB; ) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to collect, permanently archive, comprehens ...

Fühmann page of the Fühmann Friends Circle



Einblick in die Bibliothek Franz Fühmann
(A Glimpse in Franz Fühmann's library) (pdf)

(The Dance from the Soul) (SPIEGEL special 10/1995 from 1 October 1995, Page 23) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuhmann, Franz 1922 births 1984 deaths People from Rokytnice nad Jizerou Sudeten German people National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany) politicians East German writers German male essayists German-language poets German male poets Sturmabteilung personnel German Army soldiers of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany Heinrich Mann Prize winners Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit in bronze 20th-century German essayists