Fritz Brügel (13 February 1897 – 4 July 1955) was an Austrian-Czechoslovak diplomat, journalist and writer.

Early life

Brügel was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, on 13 February 1897. He was the son of the social democratic journalist and historian Ludwig Brügel, who would perish in the

Theresienstadt Ghetto Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination c ...

in 1942, a victim of

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. Brügel's family moved to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

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 ...

, where he would spend most of his childhood. Following the end of his military service, he studied history at the University of Vienna. He graduated with a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1921, with a thesis on the study of Germans in Bohemia.

Career

Brügel soon became the head of the social science study library in the Vienna Chamber of Labor, and he worked as a journalist for several years on social democratic works. From 1923 to 1934, he was also a member of the Socrates Lodge at the Grand Lodge of Vienna. He co-founded the Association of Socialist Writers in 1933, and he participated in the February Uprising of 1934 after joining the

Communist Party of Austria The Communist Party of Austria (, KPÖ) is a communist party in Austria. Established in 1918 as the Communist Party of Republic of German-Austria, German-Austria (KPDÖ), it is one of the world's oldest Communist party, communist parties. The KP� ...

. Brügel fled to Czechoslovakia following the failed uprising, and took Czechoslovak citizenship in 1935 after his Austrian citizenship was revoked. He soon got a job as a legation councilor with the Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry, helping contribute to several magazines. Brügel traveled to 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 ...

in 1936, and moved to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1938 after the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

was signed in September that year. He first lived in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, before eventually moved to southern France. During the German invasion of France, he first fled to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, then

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, and then the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Brügel returned to Prague following the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was deputy head of the Czechoslovak Military Mission in

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 ...

starting in 1946, before becoming the

Chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...

in 1949. Brügel resigned in 1950 in protest of arbitrary justice in the

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czecho ...

. He moved to London via

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, where he would live until his death in 1955. His wife, Vera Brügel, committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

the next year. In addition to his work in journalism, Brügel also wrote narrative works and poems; his best known being the lyrics for the Austrian socialist song " Die Arbeiter von Wien," a song honoring the 1927 July Revolt where 89 people were killed. Brügel also translated some works from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

Academic works

This is a list of Brügel's ''academic works''. Please do not add others unless they are explicitly academic. * Contributions to the history of the Germans in Bohemia (Vienna 1921). * The publishing history of the 'Holy Family'. In: The Fight. * Social Democracy Monthly ed. by F. Adler, vol. 21, issue 10, pp. 508–510 (Vienna 1928). * Attribution. E. P. Tal & Co. Verlag (Leipzig/Vienna 1923). * From the beginnings of the German socialist press (Vienna 1929). * Leadership and seduction. Reply to Rudolf Borchardt and others (Hess, Vienna 1931). * Lament for Adonis. Poems (Hess, Vienna / Leipzig 1931). * The Way of the International Publishing House of the Vienna Organization of the Social Democratic Party (Vienna 1931). * Goethe in Latin and Greek. In: Philobiblon, vol. 5 (1932). * The main thing is .... (Hess, Vienna 1932).Written under the name Wenzel Sladek. * February Ballad. Published by "The Fight" (Prague 1935) and "Socialist Magazine 9" (Vienna 1946). * The publishing history of the "Holy Family" In: The Fight. * Social Democratic Monthly, Vol. 21 (1938), No. 10, pp. 506-510 (The Holy Family). * Poems from Europe. The Departure (Zurich 1937), 2nd ed. Oprecht (Zurich/New York 1945). * The poems of Episthenes. With ill. by Charles Hug, Oprecht (Zurich 1940). * The chronicler of our time. In: Egon Erwin Kisch on his 60th birthday, Unity Publishing House, (London 1945). Voices from Bohemia, publication series of the Representation of Democratic Germans from Czechoslovakia. * Conspirators. Europe Publishing House, (Zurich 1951).

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brugel, Fritz 1955 deaths 1897 births Austrian Freemasons Communist Party of Austria politicians German-language literature Czechoslovak people of World War II Austrian emigrants to France Translators to German Translators of Ancient Greek texts Czechoslovak diplomats Austrian librarians