Stephan Hermlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stephan Hermlin
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Stephan Hermlin in 1954
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| Born | Rudolf Leder April 13, 1915 Chemnitz, Germany |
| Died | April 6, 1997 (aged 81) Berlin |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | German |
| Genre | Stories, essays, translations, and lyric poetry |
| Literary movement | Communism |
| Notable awards | Heinrich Heine Award |
| Relatives | David and Lola Leder |
Stephan Hermlin (born Rudolf Leder; 13 April 1915 – 6 April 1997) was a German writer. He wrote many different types of works. These included stories, essays, and poems. He also translated books from other languages. Hermlin was one of the most famous writers in what used to be East Germany.
Contents
Stephan Hermlin's Life Story
Stephan Hermlin was born in 1915 in Chemnitz, Germany. This city is now in the German state of Saxony. His parents were David and Lola Leder. His father was a Jewish immigrant and collected art. Stephan grew up in both Chemnitz and Berlin.
Early Life and Moving Abroad
In 1931, when he was 16, Hermlin joined a youth group that believed in communism. Communism is a political idea about how society should be organized. From 1933 to 1936, he worked as a printer's helper. In 1936, he left Germany. He lived in different places like Palestine, France, and Switzerland. He returned to Germany in 1945 after World War II ended.
Life in East Germany
After returning to Germany, Hermlin worked for a radio station in Frankfurt am Main. In 1947, he moved to East Berlin. He wrote for several communist magazines there. One of these was Tägliche Rundschau, which was the official newspaper for the Soviet military in East Berlin.
Hermlin wrote popular songs that supported Joseph Stalin, a leader of the Soviet Union. Because of this, he quickly became important in the Soviet-controlled part of Germany. By 1949, when the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was formed, he was one of the most powerful writers there. He was good friends with important leaders like Walter Ulbricht and Erich Honecker. Hermlin became a key figure in East German culture and politics.
Later Years and Criticisms
In 1962, Hermlin helped start a group at the East German Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts). This group organized readings for young poets. Some famous poets like Wolf Biermann and Sarah Kirsch were part of these readings. This group helped make poetry very popular in East Germany in the 1960s.
After this, Hermlin lost his job as the Secretary of Poetry at the Academy. However, he remained a member. He was not happy when the Soviet Union stopped the Prague Spring in 1968. The Prague Spring was a time when people in Czechoslovakia tried to make their country more free. Hermlin did not openly criticize this event much.
He was much more open in his criticism when the East German government expelled a poet named Wolf Biermann in 1976. Hermlin had supported Biermann's poetry years before. Going against the government's views, Hermlin worked with Erich Honecker to organize a meeting of writers. This meeting, called the Berliner Begegnung, focused on peace and understanding. Hermlin was also a member of the East German Writer's Association and the West Berlin Academy of the Arts.
Stephan Hermlin passed away in Berlin. The German journalist and writer Mirna Funk is his great-granddaughter.
Awards and Honors
Stephan Hermlin received several awards for his writing:
- 1948: Heinrich Heine Award, from the Association of German Authors.
- 1950: National Award, from the East German government. He received this for his work called "Mansfeld Speech."
- 1954: National Award, from the East German government. This was for his work on a documentary about the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
- 1958: F.C. Weiskopf Award.
- 1972: Heinrich Heine Award, from the East German Cultural Ministry.
- 1975: National Award, from the East German government.
See also
- In Spanish: Stephan Hermlin para niños
