Ludwig Renn (born Arnold Friedrich Vieth von Golßenau; 22 April 1889 – 21 July 1979) was a German author. Born a Saxon nobleman, he later became a committed communist and lived in East Berlin.''Oxford Companion to German Literature'', ed. Henry and Mary Garland. Oxford: Oxford University Press (1986) pp. 740-741

Youth and the First World War

Ludwig Renn was the assumed name of Arnold Friedrich Vieth von Golßenau who was born into a noble Saxon family whose family seat was in Golßen (

Niederlausitz Lower Lusatia (; ; ; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the south, Lower Lusa ...

). He adopted the name Ludwig Renn in 1930, after becoming a communist, renouncing his noble title and taking the name of the hero of his first successful novel, ''Krieg'' (1928). His mother, Bertha, maiden name Raspe (1867 – 1949) was the daughter of a Moscow apothecary, whilst his father, Carl Johann Vieth von Golßenau (1856 – 1938), was a teacher of mathematics and physics at the Royal Court of Saxony in Dresden. Through him, Ludwig Renn came to know the Crown Prince of Saxony, Prince Friedrich August Georg von Sachsen (1865 – 1932), later King Friedrich August III, who was destined to be the last King of Saxony after the 1918 Revolution.''Lexikon deutschsprachiger Schriftsteller: 20. Jahrhundert'', Ed. Kurt Böttcher et al., Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag (1993). pp. 598-600 From 1911 Renn served as an officer in a prestigious Saxon Guards Regiment, where he served under his friend Prince Friedrich August. Between 1914 and 1918 he fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a company commander, and a field battalion commander on the Western Front. His first book, ''Krieg'' (''War''), which appeared in 1928 brought him wide acclaim. After the war he was a captain in the Dresden security police, a paramilitary force set up during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

. In 1920 during the

Kapp Putsch The Kapp Putsch (), also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch (), was an abortive coup d'état against the German national government in Berlin on 13 March 1920. Named after its leaders Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz, its goal was to ...

, Renn refused to open fire upon striking workers and left the police service shortly afterwards. This is recounted in the novel ''Nachkrieg'' (1930) but confirmed as a fact by some sources.

Studies and travels

From 1920 to 1923 Renn studied law, economics, history of art and Russian philology in

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

and

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. In 1923 he worked as an art dealer in Dresden during the time of

hyperinflation In economics, hyperinflation is a very high and typically accelerating inflation. It quickly erodes the real versus nominal value (economics), real value of the local currency, as the prices of all goods increase. This causes people to minimiz ...

. During 1925 and 1926 Renn undertook a journey on foot through Europe and the Near East. In 1927 he undertook further studies in archaeology, art history and Chinese history in Vienna, returning to Germany in the same year to give lectures to workers on the history of China and Russia at the Volkshochschule Zwickau. In Vienna in 1927 he had witnessed dozens of socialist demonstrators being attacked and killed by police and thereafter turned to the left and ultimately communism.

Renn as a Communist writer and soldier in Spain

In 1928, the year in which he published ''Krieg'', Renn became a member of the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (, ; KPD ) was a major Far-left politics, far-left political party in the Weimar Republic during the interwar period, German resistance to Nazism, underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and minor party ...

, a step which the novel ''Nachkrieg'' (1930) reflects. In the same year he joined the Roter Frontkämpferbund (‘Alliance of Red Front-Fighters’) and from 1928 to 1932 was secretary of the Alliance of Proletarian-Revolutionary Writers in Berlin (BPRS). Renn was editor of the communist journal, ''Linkskurve'' and the communist military police journal, ''Aufbruch''. His work for the BPRS brought him into close contact with, amongst others, Anna Seghers and Johannes R Becher. Renn's growing commitment to communism saw him travel to the

USSR 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 1929 and 1930. Renn found himself increasingly under attack from the

National Socialists Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

and decided to renounce his noble title in 1930, adopting the name of the protagonist of his novel, ''Krieg'': Ludwig Renn. Between 1931 and 1932 he was a lecturer on the history of warfare and military theory at the Marxist Workers’ School (MASCH) in Berlin. His books ''Nachkrieg'' (1930) and ''Rußlandfahrten'' (1932) made him the most important German communist writer of the inter-war period. In 1933, following the burning of the Reichstag, new laws designed to accelerate

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

’s rise to power were passed, leading to Renn,

Carl von Ossietzky Carl von Ossietzky (; 3 October 1889 – 4 May 1938) was a German journalist and Pacifism, pacifist. He was the recipient of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in exposing the clandestine German rearmament. As editor-in-chief of the magazin ...

and

Ernst Torgler Ernst Torgler (25 April 1893 – 19 January 1963) was the last chairman of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) faction in the German Reichstag before he worked for the Nazis. Early life Torgler was born the son of an urban resident in Berlin ...

being arrested together in January 1934. Renn was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, serving 18 months. On his release in August 1935, he travelled to Spain where in July 1936 he joined the

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

in support of the Spanish Republican cause, becoming Chief of Staff for Lieutenant Colonel

Hans Kahle Hans Kahle (22 April 1899 – 1 September 1947) was a German journalist, communist, and head of the Volkspolizei in Mecklenburg.Militaer Wochenblatt Education and career Kahle was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg, the son of a senior official. He ...

in the XI International Brigade and the 35th Division.Carlos Engel, ''Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del E. P. de la República'', 1999, p. 301 He was in Madrid in November 1936 writing training booklets for the military command as the city became increasingly under threat. He was driven out of the city to Cuenca by Claud Cockburn, a British communist journalist, under orders from the government and their Russian advisors. In November 1936 he became leader of the

Thälmann Battalion The Thälmann Battalion was a battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. It was named after the imprisoned German communist leader Ernst Thälmann (born 16 April 1886, executed 18 August 1944) and included approximately 1 ...

of the

XII International Brigade The XII International Brigade was mustered on 7 November 1936 at Albacete, Spain. It was formerly named the Garibaldi Brigade, after the most famous and inspiring leader in the Italian Independence Wars, General Giuseppe Garibaldi. Structure Its ...

, fighting in the Battle of Guadalajara in March 1937 and then in the Battle of Brunete. In July 1937 he attended the Second International Writers' Congress, the purpose of which was to discuss the attitude of intellectuals to the war, held in

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and attended by many writers including

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

Stephen Spender Sir Stephen Harold Spender (28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry ...

and

Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

. In August 1937 he was sent on a pro-Republican propaganda tour to the United States. During his service in Spain he spent time with

. He wrote an account of his time in his work, ''Der spanische Krieg'' (1955), but was unable to name Hemingway, referring to him only as 'an American', because of the ideological condemnation of Hemingway's work in the GDR at the time.

Exile and return to Germany

After the defeat of the Spanish Republicans, Renn escaped to France and then travelled into exile to Mexico, where he remained from 1939 to 1947 and served as president of the Free Germany movement (Freies Deutschland). During this time he promoted the use of the internationalist language

Esperanto Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...

and the Ludwig Renn Archive at the Academy of the Arts, Berlin, holds several of his translations into Esperanto from foreign languages. In 1947 he returned to Germany, settling once more in Dresden, which was at the time in the

Soviet Occupation Zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...

and from 1949 part of the GDR. Here he was director of the Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut and held a chair in anthropology at the Dresden Technical University from 1947 to 1951. From 1952 Renn lived in

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

, where he was a freelance writer and a member of the German Academy of the Arts. He also worked as a Spanish–German translator.

Importance

Renn was one of the founders of proletarian‒revolutionary literature in Germany. His most important achievement lay in his novels, which were largely autobiographical in nature, and served to document the turbulent times in which he lived. The novel ''Krieg'' was an international success. Here, Renn was amongst the first to depict the harsh reality of life on the Western Front for the ordinary soldier. Although the protagonist was a simple soldier and Renn in fact an officer, much of the novel reflects autobiographical concerns. Its sequel, ''Nachkrieg'' (1930) shows the same character living in a postwar period of intense political conflict and growing in socialist conviction. Renn wrote directly about his own life in the work ''Adel im Untergang'' (Mexico 1947, Berlin 1947), as well as other works in the following decades. His final work, published posthumously in 1980, was an autobiography (''Anstöße in meinem Leben).'' As well as novels, travel writing and memoirs, Renn also wrote imaginative works for children and young people.

Private life

On his return from exile in Mexico in 1947 Renn settled at first in Dresden with his partner Max Hunger (1901–1973). In 1949 they were joined by Hans Pierschel (1922–1994) and the three men then moved in 1952 to Berlin-Kaulsdorf where they lived together for the rest of their lives. After Renn's death, he was cremated and honoured with an Ehrengrab in Berlin's Friedrichsfelde Cemetery. Hunger and Pierschel are buried with Renn in the same grave.

Works

* ''Krieg.'' Originally published by the Frankfurter Societäts-Druckerei, Frankfurt am Main 1928. Current edition, Aufbau Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 2014. * ''In vorderster Linie. Aus der Aisne-Champagne-Schlacht 1917''. Diesterweg, 1929 * ''Nachkrieg''. Agis Verlag, Berlin 1930; Current edition Das Neue Berlin, 2004. * ''Russlandfahrten.'' Lasso Verlag, Berlin 1932 * ''Vor großen Wandlungen.'' Oprecht, Zürich 1936. New edition: Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1989. * ''Adel im Untergang.'' Editorial „El Libro Libre“, Mexico 1944. Current edition, Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1992; digital edition (may have territorial limitation) Aufbau Digital * ''Morelia. Eine Universitätsstadt in Mexiko.'' Illustrated by Martin Hänisch. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1950 * ''Vom alten und neuen Rumänien.'' Illustrated by Martin Hänisch. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1952 * ''Trini. Die Geschichte eines Indianerjungen.'' Kinderbuchverlag, Illustrated by Kurt Zimmermann. Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin 1954. ( Nationalpreis der DDR, 1955). Special illustrated edition: ''Trini. Die Geschichte eines indianischen Landarbeiter-Jungen während der mexikanischen Revolution'' with illustrations by

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

and Alfaro Siqueiros. Weismann Verlag, Munich 1973. * ''Der spanische Krieg.'' Aufbau, Berlin 1955. Current unabridged edition from the manuscript, Verlag Das Neue Berlin 2006. * ''Der Neger Nobi.'' (Book for children) Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin 1955. Since the 8th edition in 1962 this work has gone by the title ''Nobi.'' Current edition: Eulenspiegelverlag, Berlin 2001. * ''Herniu und der blinde Asni.'' Illustrated by Kurt Zimmermann. Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin 1956 * ''Krieg ohne Schlacht.'' Verlag der Nation, Berlin 1957 * ''Meine Kindheit und Jugend.'' Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1957 * ''Herniu und Armin.'' Illustrated by Kurt Zimmermann. Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin 1958 * ''Auf den Trümmern des Kaiserreiches.'' Illustrated by Paul Rosié. Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin 1961 * ''Camilo.'' Children's book illustrated by Kurt Zimmermann. Kinderbuchverlag, Berlin 1963 * ''Inflation.'' Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1963 * ''Zu Fuss zum Orient.'' Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1966 (1981) * ''Ausweg.'' Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1967 * ''Krieger, Landsknecht und Soldat.'' With Helmut Schnitter, Children's book illustrated by Klaus Segner. Der Kinderbuchverlag, Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1973 * ''In Mexiko.'' Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1979 * ''Anstöße in meinem Leben.'' Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin & Weimar 1980, posthumously published Autobiography

Works in English

* ''War''. Translated from the German by Willa and Edwin Muir. New York: H. Fertig, 1988. (1929) * ''After War''. Translated from the German by Willa and Edwin Muir. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1931 * ''Death without Battle.'' New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1937 / London: M. Secker & Warburg, 1937 * ''Warfare. The Relation of War to Society.'' Oxford University Press, New York 1939 / Faber & Faber, London, 1939

Awards

* Ministry of Culture of the GDR: Awards for his children books * 1955: National Prize of the GDR Second Class * 1961: National Prize of the GDR First Class * 1969:

Karl Marx Order The Order of Karl Marx () was the most important Order (distinction), order in the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR). The award of the order also included a prize of 20,000 East German marks. The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on ...

* 1979: Grand Star of People's Friendship in Gold (German: ''Großer Stern der Völkerfreundschaft in Gold''). Awarded in celebration of Renn’s 90th Birthday on 1 May 1979 * 1969–1975 Honorary President 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 ...

Literature

Albrecht, Kai-Britt'', Renn, Ludwig,'' in ''

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

'' (NDB), Vol. 21. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot (2003) pp. 426–428.
Digital version
Böttcher, Kurt, ''et al''., Eds., ''Lexikon deutschsprachiger Schriftsteller: 20. Jahrhundert.'' Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag (1993), pp. 598–600. Garland, Henry and Mary, Eds.'', Oxford Companion to German Literature''. Oxford: Oxford University Press (1986), pp. 740–741.

References

External links

*
Ludwig Renn at GoodreadsBiografie beim DHM

Eintrag in der Sächsischen Biografie

Ludwig Renn's ''Krieg / Nachkrieg'' Nemesis, the socialist archive for fiction
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Renn, Ludwig 1889 births 1979 deaths Writers from Dresden Writers from the Kingdom of Saxony Saxon nobility Communist Party of Germany politicians Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians German Esperantists 20th-century German memoirists East German writers Writers from East Berlin Exilliteratur writers German male novelists 20th-century German novelists German gay writers German Army personnel of World War I German people of the Spanish Civil War Gay military personnel German LGBTQ military personnel International Brigades personnel Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp) LGBTQ academics 20th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century German LGBTQ people