Hans Weigel
Encyclopedia
Julius Hans Weigel was an Austria
n Jewish writer
and a theater critic
(till 1962). He lived in Vienna, except during the period between 1938 and 1945, when he lived in exile
in Switzerland
. He was a lifetime companion of the Austrian actress Elfriede Ott.
of Austria, i.e. the annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938, he worked at Viennese cabaret theaters. After his return from Switzerland, where he could stay in exile (1938-1945), he wrote critical reviews about theater plays for the Austrian newspapers Kurier and Neues Österreich. Jointly with Friedrich Torberg
he was responsible for the boycott
in Austrian theaters of Bertolt Brecht
whom he refused because of Brecht's communist
convictions.
Between 1951 and 1954, Hans Weigel edited the anthology Stimmen der Gegenwart (Voices from the Present), which fostered young writers. Today, his name is used by the Subsidy for Literatury of Lower Austria
. Weigel adapted comedies
by Johann Nepomuk Nestroy and translated Molière
. He collaborated with the annual Nestroy Theater Festival on Burg Liechtenstein, whose art director is Elfriede Ott. In 1974 he published an essay, which made him a well-known critic of the use of language.
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...
n Jewish 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....
and a theater critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
(till 1962). He lived in Vienna, except during the period between 1938 and 1945, when he lived in exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in 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....
. He was a lifetime companion of the Austrian actress Elfriede Ott.
Biography
During the time before the AnschlussAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of Austria, i.e. the annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938, he worked at Viennese cabaret theaters. After his return from Switzerland, where he could stay in exile (1938-1945), he wrote critical reviews about theater plays for the Austrian newspapers Kurier and Neues Österreich. Jointly with Friedrich Torberg
Friedrich Torberg
Friedrich Torberg is the pen-name of Friedrich Kantor, an Austrian writer.- Biography :...
he was responsible for the boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
in Austrian theaters of Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
whom he refused because of Brecht's communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
convictions.
Between 1951 and 1954, Hans Weigel edited the anthology Stimmen der Gegenwart (Voices from the Present), which fostered young writers. Today, his name is used by the Subsidy for Literatury of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
. Weigel adapted comedies
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
by Johann Nepomuk Nestroy and translated Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
. He collaborated with the annual Nestroy Theater Festival on Burg Liechtenstein, whose art director is Elfriede Ott. In 1974 he published an essay, which made him a well-known critic of the use of language.
Awards and accomplishments
- 1972: City of Vienna Prize for JournalismJournalismJournalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
- 1977: Johann Nestroy Ring
- 1982: Ehrenring by the City of Vienna
- Austrian Cross of Honor First Class for Science and Art
Works (Selection)
- Lern dieses Volk der Hirten kennen. Versuch einer freundlichen Annäherung an die Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft. Zurich: Artemis 1962
- Karl Kraus oder Die Macht der Ohnmacht. Versuch eines Motivenberichts zur Erhellung eines vielfachen Lebenswerks. Vienna; Frankfurt; Zurich: MoldenMoldenMolden is a general molecular and electronic structure processing program.- Major features :* Reads output from the ab initio packages GAMESS , Gaussian, MOLPRO and from semi-empirical packages such as MOPAC, and supports a number of other formats....
, 1968 - Die Leiden der jungen Wörter. Ein Antiwörterbuch. Zurich, Munich: Artemis-Verlag, 1974, ISBN 3-7608-0357-1
- Das Land der Deutschen mit der Seele suchend, Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1983, ISBN 3-257-21092-2
- Niemandsland. Ein autobiographischer Roman. Ed. by Elfriede Ott and Veronika Silberbauer. Vienna: AmaltheaAmaltheaAmalthea can refer to:*Amalthea , the foster-mother of Zeus in Greek mythology.*Amaltheia, alternative name of the Cumaean Sibyl*Amalthea *Amalthea , the fifth moon of Jupiter....
, 2006, ISBN 978-3-85002-571-3