Axel Eggebrecht
Encyclopedia
Axel Constantin August Eggebrecht (January 10, 1899 – July 14, 1991) was a German
journalist
and writer
.
until 1917 when he volunteered to serve in the First World War where he received a serious wound, the effects of which he would continue to feel for his entire life. Indecisive politically, he alternated between right and left. After the war he was a member of nationalist organizations. From 1920-1925 he was a member of the KDP
(Communist Party of Germany), travelling twice to the Soviet Union
in 1923 and 1924, but he returned to Berlin
disappointed in Bolshevism.
In 1925 he began his work with Siegfried Jacobsohn
's Die Weltbühne
, besides which he also wrote for the Litersche Welt. In Berlin, he was one of the inhabitants of the so-called Kunstlerkolonie Berlin, a housing complex in southeastern Berlin constructed for the purpose of providing financially insecure writers and artists with affordable housing. In 1933 he was imprisoned for several months at the Hainewalde concentration camp
. After his release he used pseudonyms to eke out a living in the film industry as a screenwriter
, assistant, and critic.
After the end of the Second World War, in June 1945, he was brought by British occupation officers to the former site of the governmental broadcast station. There, in September 1945 he was one of the founders of the Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk
(Northwest German Broadcasting). As a journalist, Eggebrecht was one of the pioneers of the radio documentary
. From 1963-1965 he reported on the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials
.
In 1965 he became a member of the International PEN
association, in 1972 becoming Vice President of the German branch. In 1983 he was awarded the Gerrit-Engelke-Preis, the literature prize of the city of Hanover
. In 1989, he received the Bürgermeister-Stolten-Medaille, the highest honor awarded by the city of Hamburg
, where he later died.
endowed the Axel Eggebrecht Prize to be awarded for radio documentaries. Since 2008, it is awarded every two years, alternating with the Günter Eich Prize for radio drama
s. Both prizes award 10,000 Euro
s.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Life
Eggebrecht grew up in bourgeois surroundings in LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
until 1917 when he volunteered to serve in the First World War where he received a serious wound, the effects of which he would continue to feel for his entire life. Indecisive politically, he alternated between right and left. After the war he was a member of nationalist organizations. From 1920-1925 he was a member of the KDP
KDP
KDP may refer to:*Kurdistan Democratic Party of South Kurdistan*Kurdistan Democratic Party of East Kurdistan*Korea Democratic Party*Khmer Democratic Party*Communist Party of Germany *Kappa Delta Pi...
(Communist Party of Germany), travelling twice to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1923 and 1924, but he returned to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
disappointed in Bolshevism.
In 1925 he began his work with Siegfried Jacobsohn
Siegfried Jacobsohn
Siegfried Jacobsohn was a German writer and influential theatre critic.- Life :Born in Berlin into a Jewish family, Jacobsohn decided at the age of 15 to become a theatre critic. In October 1897 he left school without gaining any diplomas and began studying at Friedrich-Wilhelm-University as it...
's Die Weltbühne
Die Weltbühne
Die Weltbühne was a German weekly magazine focused on politics, art, and business. The Weltbühne was founded in Berlin on 7 September 1905 by Siegfried Jacobsohn and was originally created strictly as a theater magazine under the title Die Schaubühne. It was renamed Die Weltbühne on 4 April 1918...
, besides which he also wrote for the Litersche Welt. In Berlin, he was one of the inhabitants of the so-called Kunstlerkolonie Berlin, a housing complex in southeastern Berlin constructed for the purpose of providing financially insecure writers and artists with affordable housing. In 1933 he was imprisoned for several months at the Hainewalde concentration camp
Hainewalde concentration camp
On March 27, 1933, the SA established a protective custody camp at Hainewalde Castle in Saxony. Initially SA-Sturm III under SA-Sturmführer Ernst Jirka guarded the camp, but in May this responsibility fell to SA-Standarte 102 under SA-Standartenführer Paul Unterstab. Altogether there were about...
. After his release he used pseudonyms to eke out a living in the film industry as a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, assistant, and critic.
After the end of the Second World War, in June 1945, he was brought by British occupation officers to the former site of the governmental broadcast station. There, in September 1945 he was one of the founders of the Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk
Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk
Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk was the organization responsible for public broadcasting in the German Länder of Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia from 22 September 1945 until 31 December 1955. Until 1954, it was also responsible for broadcasting in West Berlin...
(Northwest German Broadcasting). As a journalist, Eggebrecht was one of the pioneers of the radio documentary
Radio documentary
A radio documentary or feature is a purely acoustic performance devoted to covering a particular topic in some depth, usually with a mixture of commentary and sound pictures. It is broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD...
. From 1963-1965 he reported on the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials
Frankfurt Auschwitz trials
The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, known in German as der Auschwitz-Prozess or der zweite Auschwitz-Prozess, was a series of trials running from December 20, 1963 to August 10, 1965, charging 22 defendants under German penal law for their roles in the Holocaust as mid- to lower-level officials in the...
.
In 1965 he became a member of the International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
association, in 1972 becoming Vice President of the German branch. In 1983 he was awarded the Gerrit-Engelke-Preis, the literature prize of the city of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. In 1989, he received the Bürgermeister-Stolten-Medaille, the highest honor awarded by the city of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where he later died.
Axel Eggebrecht Prize
In Eggebrecht's memory, the Media Foundation of the City of LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
endowed the Axel Eggebrecht Prize to be awarded for radio documentaries. Since 2008, it is awarded every two years, alternating with the Günter Eich Prize for radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
s. Both prizes award 10,000 Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s.