Ernst Friedrich Lohndorff
Encyclopedia
Ernst Friedrich Löhndorff was a German
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...

 sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...

, adventurer, 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....

. He was born in Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

 on 13 March 1899 and died in 1976 in Laufenburg
Laufenburg, Switzerland
Laufenburg is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Aargau. It is the seat of the district of the same name. On 1 January 2010 the municipality Sulz merged into Laufenburg....

, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

In 1913, at the age of 14, Löhndorff ran away from his home with the intent to become a sailor and get to know the world. He travelled the world as a sailor and adventurer until 1927. His first of over 30 novels, “Bestie Ich in Mexiko” (engl. “I, Beast, in Mexio” ), was published in 1927. His novels were translated in a dozen languages and were quite popular until after the Second World War. While his books are currently not in print they are still popular among collectors.

Childhood and youth

Löhndorff was the youngest child of the merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...

 Robert Löhndorff and his wife Paulina Augusta Raabe. Born in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

 on the 13th of March 1899 he was baptized on 27 August 1899. In 1902 his family moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. His father was often absent due to business travels and later left the family. Consequently, Löhndorff practically grew up without a father.

Starting 16 September 1905 Löhndorff attended the Volksschule
Volksschule
A Volksschule was an 18th century system of state-supported primary schools established in the Habsburg Austrian Empire and Prussia . Attendance was supposedly compulsory, but a 1781 census reveals that only one fourth of school-age children attended. At the time, this was one of the few examples...

(elementary school) in Hietzing
Hietzing
Hietzing is the 13th municipal District of Vienna . It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling...

 and later the public Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...

 (secondary modern school). In 1912 he had to repeat the class due to excessive absence.

Seamanship

In spring 1913 Löhndorff ran away from home to become a sailor. In 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...

 he signed on to a Dutch sailing ship
Sailing ship
The term sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large...

 as cabin boy
Cabin boy
A Cabin boy or ship's boy is a boy who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship, especially running errands for the captain....

. When he returned to the harbor of Delfzijl
Delfzijl
Delfzijl is a municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is situated on the left bank of the river Ems estuary, which forms the border with Germany.-Population centres:...

, Holland, from a journey to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, his father and local police were already expecting him.

After a discussion Löhndorff's father agreed to let him pursue his way as a sailor. He hired on the four-masted barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...

 “Thielbek
Thielbek
The Thielbek was a 2,815 GRT freighter that was sunk along with the SS Cap Arcona and the Deutschland during British air raids on May 3, 1945 while anchored in the Bay of Lübeck with the loss of 2,750 lives...

” that was sailing to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. At the end of September 1914 the ship reached his destination, where it was seized because of the beginning of First World War. Being greatly bored on the seized vessel, Löhndorff fled and went on to many adventures in Mexico.

First World War

Löhndorff fled from the seized vessel after a short time because he was bored and wanted to pursue his quest for adventures. He worked in diverse jobs, including as coastal sailor.

After a shipwreck he hoped for help from the German consul in Guaymas
Guaymas
Guaymas is a city and municipality located in the southwest part of the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. The city is located 117 km south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and 242 miles from the U.S. border, and is the principal port for the state. The municipality is located in the...

. But as he couldn't provide documents, and his family resided in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, the consul did not believe him that he was German. After leaving the consulate Löhndorff met a Yaqui of the Revolutionary Force and signed in with the Forces. He was promoted soon, because, among other things, he was able to translate English text to his superiors. He met the revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...

 Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....

.

Löhndorff was not interested in the political issues behind the revolution. In January 1916 he witnessed how revolutionary troups fetched 17 US-American civilists out of a train and, under order from Pancho Villa, executed them on the spot. This changed Löhndorff's mind. But because he was present at the site and part of the situation, the US put a bounty on his head. A punitive expedition under general John Pershing remained unfinished because the troups were ordered back in 1917 when the US entered the First World War.

War captivity

Löhndorff tried to get away from Mexico. Together with deserted sailors he captured the vessel “Alexander Agassiz”. They sailed under the German flag but were themselves captured by the US Marine after only four weeks. Löhndorff was arrested and put into prison in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 in February 1918. From there he was transferred to the War Barracks III in Fort Utah
Fort Utah
Fort Utah was the original settlement at Provo, Utah, and was established March 12, 1849. The original settlers were President John S. Higbee, and about 30 families or 150 persons that were sent from Salt Lake City to Provo by President Brigham Young...

 (Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

) as prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

 no. 638. During this imprisonment Löhndorff met captain Conrad Sörensen whose sailor classes he attended. After the end of war Löhndorff managed to receive provisional documents through the Swiss embassy. They enabled him to eventually leave the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and return to Europe. On 11 July 1919 Löhndorff arrived in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

 harbor as passenger of the sailor “Martha Washington”. German authorities expecting him there and, after several interrogations, allowed him to enter Germany, travelling to Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...

, where his family had settled during war times.

French Foreign Legion

In post war years Löhndorff joined the French foreign legion
Foreign legion
Foreign legion or Foreign Legion is a title which has been used by a small number of military units composed of foreign volunteers.It usually refers to the French Foreign Legion, part of the French Army established in 1831.It can also refer to:...

. Why he did so remains unclear. He may have done so due to financial problems or simply to follow his urge for adventures. On 13 November 1920 he signs in for five years in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....

, using the false name “Ernesto de Naca e Villaverde” and fals birth place Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...

 but giving his real birth date of 13 March 1899, für fünf Jahre .

He seems to have been in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

 but deserted after only two months and fled the country. His book “Afrika weint - Tagebuch eines Legionärs” (engl. Africa cries - Diary of a Legionnaire) reflects his experiences in the Foreign Legion in Africa. But, as nearly all his books, this adventure novel mixes real events with fiction. His autobiographic style often gives the impression that Löhndorff reports his own adventures. But in many cases this is not the case. However, his travels and adventures were a strong source of inspiration for his stories.

Books

The following bibliography lists the first editions of his novels as they are given in the Catalogue of the German National Library
German National Library
The German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...

.. Some of the crime novels he published under the pseudonym of Peter Dando were later republished under his real name.
  • Bestie Ich in Mexiko (1927) Stuttgart: Dieck & Co.
  • Satan Ozean: Von Schnapspiraten, Trampfahren und Walfängern (1930) Leipzig: Grethlein & Co.; Bremen: C. Schünemann
  • Afrika weint: Tagebuch eines Legionärs (1930) Leipzig: Grethlein & Co.
  • Amineh: Die zehntausend Gesichter Indiens (1931) Leipzig ; Zürich: Grethlein; Bremen: Schünemann
  • Noahs Arche: Eine Saga von Mensch und Wal (1932) Leipzig ; Zürich: Grethlein; Bremen: Schünemann
  • Blumenhölle am Jacinto: Urwalderlebnis (1932) Leipzig ; Zürich: Grethlein; Bremen: Schünemann
  • Der Indio: Kampf und Ende eines Volkes (1933) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Trommle, Piet!: Deutsche Landsknechte im Urwald (1934) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Gold, Whisky und Frauen in Nordland (1935) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Der Narr und die Mandelblüte (1935) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Südwest-Nordost: Erlebnisschildergn (1936) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Tropensymphonie (1936) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Der Geheimnisvolle von Baden-Baden (1936) Bern ; Leipzig ; Wien: Goldmann (Goldmanns Roman-Bibliothek, Band 54); as Peter Dando
  • Seltsame Pfade auf 10 Grad Süd (1937) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Bowery-Satan (1937) Bern ; Leipzig ; Wien: Goldmann (Goldmanns Roman-Bibliothek ; Band 69); as Peter Dando
  • Die Frau von Hawai (1938) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Unheimliches China: Ein Reisebericht (1939) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Die schwarze Witwe (1939) Dresden: Seyfert; as Peter Dando
  • Yangtsekiang: Ein Chinaroman (1940) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Khaiberpaß (1941) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Gloria und der Teddyboy: Amerik. Sittenbild (1943) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Old Jamaica Rum (1949) Düsseldorf: Vier Falken Verl.
  • Ultima Esperanza: Aufstieg und Ende des "Königs von Feuerland" (1950) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Ägyptische Nächte (1952) Schloss Bleckede a.d. Elbe: Meissner
  • Stimme aus der Wüste: Muhamed Ibn Abd'Allah Ibn Abd. el Mottalib Ibn Hadschim el Emin. (1953) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Gelber Strom (1954) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Wen die Götter streicheln: Indischer Tatsachenroman (1954) Berlin ; München: Weiss
  • Schwarzer Hanf: Roman eines Rauschgiftes (1956) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Der Weg nach Dien Bien Phu: Roman einer Kolonie (1957) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Glück in Manila (1958) Berlin-Schöneberg: Weiss
  • Sturm über Kenia (1960) Bremen: Schünemann
  • Gelbe Hölle am Jangtsekiang (1965) Hannover: Fackelträger-Verl. Schmidt-Küster
  • Der Vogel Cockaburra (1966) Hannover: Fackelträger-Verl.

Translations

Many of Löhndorffs novels were translated to—all in all—at least 12 different languages: Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...

, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Flemish (Belgium), Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

, Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...

, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...

, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...

, Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...

, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....

.
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