Bruno Apitz
Encyclopedia
Bruno Apitz was a German
writer.
Apitz was born in Leipzig
as the twelfth child of a washer woman. He attended school until he was fourteen, then started training as a printer. During World War I
he was a passionate supporter of German Communist Party leader Karl Liebknecht
. At 17, he made a speech in front of striking factory workers that resulted in his being sentenced to twenty-nine months in prison. In 1919 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD) and in 1927, the more radical Communist Party of Germany
(KPD). He took active part in the German November Revolution
of 1918 and the Kapp Putsch
of 1920. During the latter he published his first poems and short stories in Communist newspapers. He wrote his first play in 1924 and was later repeatedly imprisoned under Nazi rule in various concentration camps for spreading socialistic anti-war propaganda and being an active member of the Communist Party. From 1937 to 1945 he was an inmate of the Buchenwald concentration camp
near Weimar
. It was this stay that became the basis for his most famous novel, Nackt unter Wölfen (Naked Among the Wolves).
After 1945 he worked for the East German state film company Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft
and as a radio play author. He was one of the founding members of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
(SED), which became the dominant party in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
.
Apitz was a member of the Academy of Arts and the PEN-Clubs of the GDR. His novel Nackt unter Wölfen was first published in 1958 and has been translated into over thirty languages, winning him worldwide recognition.
Bruno Apitz’s home town, Leipzig
, named him a Citizen of Honour in 1976. He died on 17 April 1979 in Berlin
.
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...
writer.
Apitz was born in Leipzig
Leipzig
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...
as the twelfth child of a washer woman. He attended school until he was fourteen, then started training as a printer. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was a passionate supporter of German Communist Party leader Karl Liebknecht
Karl Liebknecht
was a German socialist and a co-founder with Rosa Luxemburg of the Spartacist League and the Communist Party of Germany. He is best known for his opposition to World War I in the Reichstag and his role in the Spartacist uprising of 1919...
. At 17, he made a speech in front of striking factory workers that resulted in his being sentenced to twenty-nine months in prison. In 1919 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) and in 1927, the more radical Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD). He took active part in the German November Revolution
German Revolution
The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's imperial government with a republic...
of 1918 and the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
of 1920. During the latter he published his first poems and short stories in Communist newspapers. He wrote his first play in 1924 and was later repeatedly imprisoned under Nazi rule in various concentration camps for spreading socialistic anti-war propaganda and being an active member of the Communist Party. From 1937 to 1945 he was an inmate of the Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
near Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
. It was this stay that became the basis for his most famous novel, Nackt unter Wölfen (Naked Among the Wolves).
After 1945 he worked for the East German state film company Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft
Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft
Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft, better known as DEFA, was the public-owned film studio in East Germany throughout that country's history.-History:...
and as a radio play author. He was one of the founding members of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
(SED), which became the dominant party in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
.
Apitz was a member of the Academy of Arts and the PEN-Clubs of the GDR. His novel Nackt unter Wölfen was first published in 1958 and has been translated into over thirty languages, winning him worldwide recognition.
Bruno Apitz’s home town, Leipzig
Leipzig
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...
, named him a Citizen of Honour in 1976. He died on 17 April 1979 in 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...
.
Books
- Der Mensch im Nacken, 1924
- Naked Among WolvesNaked Among Wolves (novel)Naked Among Wolves is a novel by the East German author Bruno Apitz. The novel, first published in 1958, tells the story of prisoners in the Buchenwald concentration camp who risk their lives to hide a Jewish boy. It was translated into 25 languages and published in 28 countries...
, 1958 - Der Regenbogen, 1976
- Schwellenbrand. Autobiografischer Roman, Berlin 1984