Herbert Nachbar
Encyclopedia
Herbert Nachbar was a German
writer
resident in the German Democratic Republic
.
in Greifswald
, Province of Pomerania. From 1936 to 1940, he attended the Volksschule
in Wolgast
subsequently the Lehrerbildungsanstalt in Pasewalk
. After a short time as an electrician
, he went to school as the Oberschule in Rostock
where he took his Abitur
. Nachbar began a study of Medicine
at the Humboldt University of Berlin
which he broke off after two semesters. He worked as a local reporter and contributing editor
to different East Berlin newspaper
s until 1953 after which as a literary editor
for the Aufbau-Verlag. From 1957 he was a freelance writer. Nachbar lived in several towns: until 1959 on the island Ummanz
the from 1960 to 1963 in East Berlin, from 1963 to 1969 in Graal-Müritz
as well as again in East Berlin after 1969. From 1968, he was head dramaturg
at the Volkstheater in Rostock and later at the East German Television
in Berlin
. His death in East Berlin
was the result of a difficult disease which had forced him to become a wheelchair user since 1978.
Herbert Nachbar was a member of the Deutscher Schriftstellerverband and the P.E.N.-Zentrals
of East Germany.
s, narrative
s and television screenplays
. In his novels, he depicts the life of a fishing village on the Baltic Sea
coast. Later he expanded his themes and assimilated his own experiences in his books. Some of his later works had been shaped by sagas of the Baltic area and Scandinavia
and bear fantasy and romance features.
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
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....
resident in the German Democratic Republic
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...
.
Life
Herbert Nachbar was the son of a fishermanFisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
in Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
, Province of Pomerania. From 1936 to 1940, he 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...
in Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
subsequently the Lehrerbildungsanstalt in Pasewalk
Pasewalk
Pasewalk is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Located on the Uecker river, it is the capital of the former Uecker-Randow district, and the seat of the Uecker-Randow-Tal Amt of which it is not part.Pasewalk became a town during the 12th...
. After a short time as an electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
, he went to school as the Oberschule in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
where he took his Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
. Nachbar began a study of Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
which he broke off after two semesters. He worked as a local reporter and contributing editor
Contributing editor
A contributing editor is a magazine job title that varies in responsibilities. Most often, a contributing editor is a freelancer who has proven ability and readership draw. The contributing editor regularly contributes articles to the publication but does not actually edit articles, and the title...
to different East Berlin newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s until 1953 after which as a literary editor
Literary editor
A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews. A literary editor may also help with editing books themselves, by providing services such as proof reading, copy-editing, and literary...
for the Aufbau-Verlag. From 1957 he was a freelance writer. Nachbar lived in several towns: until 1959 on the island Ummanz
Ummanz
Ummanz is a small island situated off the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany.Its area is 20 km². Together with the neighboring islands Rügen and Hiddensee it is administrated as the district Rügen....
the from 1960 to 1963 in East Berlin, from 1963 to 1969 in Graal-Müritz
Graal-Müritz
Graal-Müritz is a Seeheilbad in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is located in the Rostock district, near Rostock, Ribnitz-Damgarten and Stralsund....
as well as again in East Berlin after 1969. From 1968, he was head dramaturg
Dramaturge
A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas...
at the Volkstheater in Rostock and later at the East German Television
Deutscher Fernsehfunk
Deutscher Fernsehfunk , known from 1972 to 1990 as Fernsehen der DDR , was the state television broadcaster in East Germany.-Foundation:...
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...
. His death in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
was the result of a difficult disease which had forced him to become a wheelchair user since 1978.
Herbert Nachbar was a member of the Deutscher Schriftstellerverband and the P.E.N.-Zentrals
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....
of East Germany.
Artistic creations
Herbert Nachbar was the writer of novelNovel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
s and television screenplays
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
. In his novels, he depicts the life of a fishing village on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
coast. Later he expanded his themes and assimilated his own experiences in his books. Some of his later works had been shaped by sagas of the Baltic area and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and bear fantasy and romance features.
Awards and honors
- 1957 Heinrich Mann PrizeHeinrich Mann PrizeThe Heinrich Mann Prize is a literary award given annually by the Berlin Academy of Art . The prize given for works with socially critical aspects in a character that would honor Heinrich Mann...
- 1961 Literature Prize of the Free German Trade Union FederationFree German Trade Union FederationThe Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund , was the trade union federation in East Germany. It was part of the National Front and had representatives in the Volkskammer....
- 1966 Johannes R. Becher Medal, in Silver
- 1976 National Prize of East GermanyNational Prize of East GermanyThe National Prize of the German Democratic Republic was an award of the German Democratic Republic given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, and other meritorious achievement...
, 2nd Class - 1980 Vaterländischer Verdienstorden, in Bronze
Works
- Der Mond hat einen Hof (The Moon had a Yard), Berlin 1956
- Die gestohlene Insel (The Stolen Island), Berlin 1958
- Die Hochzeit von Länneken (The Marriage of Länneken), Berlin 1960
- Der Tod des Admirals (The Death of the Admiral), Berlin 1960
- Brasilienfahrt (Brasil Trip), Rostock 1961 (together with Gerhard Vetter)
- Oben fährt der Große Wagen (The Great Wagon drives above), Rostock 1963
- Ein Feldherr sucht seine Mutter (A Commander searches for his Mother), Rostock 1965
- Haus unterm Regen (House under the Rain), Berlin et al. 1965
- Meister Zillmann (Master Zillmann), Rostock 1965
- Die Millionen des Knut Brümmer (The Millions of the Knut Brümmer), Rostock 1970
- Ein dunkler Stern (A Dark Star), Berlin et al. 1973
- Pumpendings seltsame Reise (Pumpending's Strange Journey), Berlin et al. 1975
- Der Weg nach Samoa (The Way to Samoa), Berlin et al. 1976
- Das fliegende Paddelboot (The Flying Paddle Boat), Berlin 1979
- Keller der alten Schmiede (Cellar of the Old Forge), Berlin et al. 1979
- Helena und die Heimsuchung (Helena and the Afflicted), Berlin 1981
- Die große Fahrt (The Great Trip), Berlin et al. 1982
- Der Junge mit den knielangen Hosen (The Boy with the knee-length Pants), Berlin et al. 1984
Literature
- Zu Nachbar. Ein Almanach (About Nachbar. An Almanac), Edited by Günter Caspar and Sigrid Töpelmann. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin et al. 1982.
- Werner Fritzsche: Darstellung und Gestaltung des Verhältnisses von Individuum und Gesellschaft in der DDR-Literatur, untersucht am literarischen Werk Herbert Nachbars (Werner Fritzsche: Portrayal and Figure of Individual and Society in East Germany, examined Works of Herbert Nachbar), Diss. A, Erfurt-Mühlhausen, Pädag. Hochsch., 1983.
External links
- Literature by and on Herbert Nachbar in the catalog of the German National LibraryGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...