Hans Habe
Encyclopedia
Janos Békessy, better known under his pen name Hans Habe (12 February 1911, Budapest
– 29 September 1977, Locarno
) was an Austrian writer and newspaper publisher. He used also the pseudonyms Antonio Corte, Frank Richard, Frederick Gert, John Richler, Hans Wolfgang, and Robert Pilchowski.
the family moved to Vienna
where his father published one of the first daily tabloids, Die Stunde (The Hour), from 1923 to 1926. He was educated at the Franz-Joseph-Gymnasium between 1921 and 1929. Afterwards he started to study Law and German Literature at Heidelberg
, but returned soon to Vienna because of the growing Anti-Semitism in Germany.
for the Prager Tagblatt (Prague Daily News), stationed mostly at Geneva
, covering the League of Nations
. In this capacity he was present at the Evian Conference
in 1938, where he met again otolaryngologist Heinrich Neumann von Héthárs
who had performed an operation upon Habe 13 years before, and was a friend of his family. Habe described the course of the Conference in his novel The Mission (1965). The focal point of the novel is the infamous offer made by the German government, and transmitted to the Conference by Neumann von Héthárs, to sell the Austrian Jews to foreign countries at a price of $250 per capita, and the Conference delegates' refusal to accept. At this time Habe was married to his second wife, Erika Levy, the heiress of the Tungsram
light bulb company.
, Habe was expatriated and his books forbidden by the new Nazi government. He went into exile in France
and joined the French Foreign Legion
. In 1940 he was captured and interned in the Drancy
camp. From there he managed to escape with the help of French friends and emigrated to the United States
. He became a US citizen. Here Habe married his third wife, Eleanor Post Hutton, heiress of General Foods
, in 1942. They had a son, Anthony Niklas Habe. In 1942 he was drafted into the US Army and studied Psychological warfare
at the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Maryland
. Then he joined the 1st Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company, and went in March 1943 to North Africa and participated in Operation Avalanche, the landing in Italy
. In 1944 he became an Instructor of Psychological Warfare at Camp Sharpe, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
. In autumn 1944 he selected a group of German writers and newspaperman to prepare for the publishing of new newspapers after the war in Germany.
. Then he became Editor of the Neue Zeitung in Munich
. At this time he was married for a short time with actress Ali Ghito. In 1949 he moved to the Münchner Illustrierte (Munich Illustrated), and in 1951 of the Echo der Woche (Echo of the Week). In 1948 he married his fifth wife, actress Eloise Hardt. In 1951 they had a daughter, Marina Elizabeth, who was murdered on 30 December 1968 in Los Angeles
. 1952 and 1953 he wrote the column Outside America for the Los Angeles Daily News
. When the Echo der Woche ceased to appear in 1953, he settled in Ascona
and wrote mostly novels. 1954 he married his sixth and last wife, Hungarian actress and singer Licci Balla.
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
– 29 September 1977, Locarno
Locarno
Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
) was an Austrian writer and newspaper publisher. He used also the pseudonyms Antonio Corte, Frank Richard, Frederick Gert, John Richler, Hans Wolfgang, and Robert Pilchowski.
Early years
He was born in Budapest, then capital of the Kingdom of Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His parents, Imre Békessy and Bianca Marton, were of Jewish origin but converted to the Christian faith. After World War IWorld 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...
the 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...
where his father published one of the first daily tabloids, Die Stunde (The Hour), from 1923 to 1926. He was educated at the Franz-Joseph-Gymnasium between 1921 and 1929. Afterwards he started to study Law and German Literature at Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, but returned soon to Vienna because of the growing Anti-Semitism in Germany.
Newspaperman
In 1930 he began to work as a reporter for the Wiener Sonn- und Montagspost (Vienna Sunday and Monday Post). Next year he became Editor of the Österreichische Abendzeitung (Austrian Evening News), at age 20 one of the youngest newspaper editors ever. At this time he married his first wife, Margit Bloch. Early in 1934 he moved to the Wiener Morgen (Vienna Morning News). From 1935 to 1939 he was a Foreign CorrespondentCorrespondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for the Prager Tagblatt (Prague Daily News), stationed mostly at Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, covering the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. In this capacity he was present at the Evian Conference
Evian Conference
The Évian Conference was convened at the initiative of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in July 1938 to discuss the issue of increasing numbers of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. For eight days, from July 6 to July 13, representatives from 31 countries met at Évian-les-Bains, France...
in 1938, where he met again otolaryngologist Heinrich Neumann von Héthárs
Heinrich Neumann von Héthárs
Heinrich Neumann von Héthárs was the foremost ear-nose-and-throat doctor in Vienna before World War II...
who had performed an operation upon Habe 13 years before, and was a friend of his family. Habe described the course of the Conference in his novel The Mission (1965). The focal point of the novel is the infamous offer made by the German government, and transmitted to the Conference by Neumann von Héthárs, to sell the Austrian Jews to foreign countries at a price of $250 per capita, and the Conference delegates' refusal to accept. At this time Habe was married to his second wife, Erika Levy, the heiress of the Tungsram
Tungsram
Tungsram is a Hungarian manufacturer of light bulbs and vacuum tubes since 1896. General Electric, in 1990, acquired majority share in one of Hungary's largest, oldest, and internationally most prestigious firms, the light-source manufacturer Tungsram. Over the past six years GE has invested $600...
light bulb company.
World War II
After the AnschlussAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
, Habe was expatriated and his books forbidden by the new Nazi government. He went into exile in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and joined the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
. In 1940 he was captured and interned in the Drancy
Drancy internment camp
The Drancy internment camp of Paris, France, was used to hold Jews who were later deported to the extermination camps. 65,000 Jews were deported from Drancy, of whom 63,000 were murdered including 6,000 children...
camp. From there he managed to escape with the help of French friends and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He became a US citizen. Here Habe married his third wife, Eleanor Post Hutton, heiress of General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
, in 1942. They had a son, Anthony Niklas Habe. In 1942 he was drafted into the US Army and studied Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
at the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Then he joined the 1st Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company, and went in March 1943 to North Africa and participated in Operation Avalanche, the landing in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1944 he became an Instructor of Psychological Warfare at Camp Sharpe, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
. In autumn 1944 he selected a group of German writers and newspaperman to prepare for the publishing of new newspapers after the war in Germany.
Newspaperman in Germany
In 1945 Habe returned to Germany in the wake of the occupying US Army. By November 1945 he had created 18 newspapers in the American Occupation ZoneAllied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
. Then he became Editor of the Neue Zeitung in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. At this time he was married for a short time with actress Ali Ghito. In 1949 he moved to the Münchner Illustrierte (Munich Illustrated), and in 1951 of the Echo der Woche (Echo of the Week). In 1948 he married his fifth wife, actress Eloise Hardt. In 1951 they had a daughter, Marina Elizabeth, who was murdered on 30 December 1968 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...
. 1952 and 1953 he wrote the column Outside America for the Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
. When the Echo der Woche ceased to appear in 1953, he settled in Ascona
Ascona
Ascona is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.It is located on the shore of Lake Maggiore.The town is a popular tourist destination, and holds a yearly jazz festival, the Ascona Jazz Festival....
and wrote mostly novels. 1954 he married his sixth and last wife, Hungarian actress and singer Licci Balla.
Prizes
- 1942 Jerusalem Medaille
- 1945 Luxembourg War CrossLuxembourg War CrossThe Luxembourg War Cross is a military decoration of Luxembourg which was first created on 17 April 1945 by the Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg. The War Cross recognizes military service and feats of bravery performed between the years of 1940 and 1945...
- 1972 Theodor-Herzl-Preis
- 1976 Großes BundesverdienstkreuzBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
- 1977 Konrad-Adenauer-Preis
Works
- Drei über die Grenze (1936)
- Eine Welt bricht zusammen (1937)
- Tödlicher Friede (1939)
- Zu spät? (1939)
- Kathrin oder der verlorene Frühling (1943)
- Wohin wir gehören (1946)
- Ob Tausend fallen (1941, A Thousand Shall Fall, about his war experiences in the French Foreign Legion)
- Walk in Darkness (1948)
- The Black Earth (1952)
- Ich stelle mich (1954, autobiography)
- Off limits (1955)
- Im Namen des Teufels (1956)
- Die Rote Sichel (1959)
- Ilona (1960)
- Die Tarnowska (1962, Countess Tarnovska)
- Tod in Texas (1964)
- Die Mission (1965, The Mission, first published in Great Britain by George G. Harrap & Co. Limited, London, 1966)
- Christoph und sein Vater (1966)
- Im Jahre Null (1966)
- Das Netz (1969)
- Wien, so wie es war (1969)
- Erfahrungen (1973)
- Palazzo (1975)
- Leben für den Journalismus (München : Droemer Knaur, 1976. - ISBN 3-426-00430-5)
- Weg ins Dunkel (1977)
- Ungarischer Tanz
- Wie einst David
External links
- http://www.hanshabe.de/ Official homepage in German