Josef Weinheber
Encyclopedia
Translated from German Wikipedia
Josef Weinheber (9 March 1892 in Vienna
– 8 April 1945 in Kirchstetten
, Lower Austria by suicide
) was an Austria
n lyric poet
, narrative writer and essayist.
, and became Protestant in 1927.
In 1920 his first volume of lyric poetry appeared, „Der einsame Mensch“ (The Solitary Man). Weinheber was principally under the literary influence of Rainer Maria Rilke
, Anton Wildgans
and Karl Kraus
. He was on most friendly terms with his author-colleagues Mirko Jelusich and Robert Hohlbaum
. From 1931 until 1933 and from 1944 Weinheber was a Member of the Nazi party.
With the publication of his volume of poems "Adel und Untergang" (Nobility and Ruin) he became one of the most distinguished poets of his time. Especially admired was the volume "Wien wörtlich" (Vienna Verbatim), which is partially written in Viennese dialect. However the forty Odes comprising the Cycle "Zwischen Göttern und Dämonen" (Between Gods and Demons) of 1938 are considered his poetical masterpiece.
Falling prey to alcohol during the later events of the War, he took his own life at the time of the advance march of the Red Army, leaving behind a clear-sighted parting letter. He was buried in the village of Kirchstetten, Austria, where he lived from 1936. Part of his house there, located on Josef Weinheber-Strasse, has been preserved as a museum in his honor.
The English poet W. H. Auden
, who spent summers in Kirchstetten from 1958 through 1973, wrote a moving poem about Weinheber called "Josef Weinheber." Auden acknowledges Weinheber's support of Nazism but also records his reply to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels
' offer to enrich Austrian culture: "in Ruah lossen" (leave us alone). Auden's poem appears in his Collected Poems.
Josef Weinheber (9 March 1892 in 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...
– 8 April 1945 in Kirchstetten
Kirchstetten
Kirchstetten is a town in district of Sankt Pölten-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria.It was the home during part of their lives to the Austrian poet Josef Weinheber and the English poet W. H. Auden. Auden is buried in a Kirchstetten churchyard....
, Lower Austria by suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
) was an 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...
n lyric poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, narrative writer and essayist.
Life
Brought up in an orphanage, Weinheber was, before his authorial career, a casual labourer, and from 1911 to 1918 a postal service worker. In 1919 he made contributions to the newspaper The Musket. In 1918 he left the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and became Protestant in 1927.
In 1920 his first volume of lyric poetry appeared, „Der einsame Mensch“ (The Solitary Man). Weinheber was principally under the literary influence of Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
, Anton Wildgans
Anton Wildgans
Anton Wildgans was an Austrian poet and playwright.His works, in which realism, neo-romanticism and expressionism mingle, focus on the drama of daily life....
and Karl Kraus
Karl Kraus
Karl Kraus was an Austrian writer and journalist, known as a satirist, essayist, aphorist, playwright and poet. He is regarded as one of the foremost German-language satirists of the 20th century, especially for his witty criticism of the press, German culture, and German and Austrian...
. He was on most friendly terms with his author-colleagues Mirko Jelusich and Robert Hohlbaum
Robert Hohlbaum
Robert Hohlbaum was an Austrian-German librarian, writer, and playwright. He was born as an industrialist Alois Hohlbaum in what is now Krnov in the Czech Republic, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and known by its German name, Jägerndorf.Hohlbaum studied at Graz and Vienna and received...
. From 1931 until 1933 and from 1944 Weinheber was a Member of the Nazi party.
With the publication of his volume of poems "Adel und Untergang" (Nobility and Ruin) he became one of the most distinguished poets of his time. Especially admired was the volume "Wien wörtlich" (Vienna Verbatim), which is partially written in Viennese dialect. However the forty Odes comprising the Cycle "Zwischen Göttern und Dämonen" (Between Gods and Demons) of 1938 are considered his poetical masterpiece.
Falling prey to alcohol during the later events of the War, he took his own life at the time of the advance march of the Red Army, leaving behind a clear-sighted parting letter. He was buried in the village of Kirchstetten, Austria, where he lived from 1936. Part of his house there, located on Josef Weinheber-Strasse, has been preserved as a museum in his honor.
The English poet W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
, who spent summers in Kirchstetten from 1958 through 1973, wrote a moving poem about Weinheber called "Josef Weinheber." Auden acknowledges Weinheber's support of Nazism but also records his reply to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
' offer to enrich Austrian culture: "in Ruah lossen" (leave us alone). Auden's poem appears in his Collected Poems.
Distinctions and Honours
- 1936 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Prize
- 1941 Grillparzer Prize (jointly with Mirko Jelusich)
Works
- Der einsame Mensch, (The Solitary Man, poems) 1920
- Von beiden Ufern, (Of Both Shores, poems) 1923
- Boot in der Bucht, (Boat in the Bay, poems) 1926
- Adel und Untergang, (Nobility and Ruin, poems) 1934
- Wien wörtlich, (Vienna Verbatim, poems) 1935
- Vereinsamtes Herz, (The Heart made Lonely, poems) 1935
- Späte Krone, (Belated Crown, poems) 1936
- O Mensch, gib acht!, (Mankind, Take heed!, poems) 1937 (ein erbauliches Kalenderbuch für Stadt- und Landleute)
- Selbstbildnis, (Self-portrait, poems) 1937
- Zwischen Göttern und Dämonen, (Between Gods and Demons, poems) 1938
- Kammermusik, (Chamber-music, poems) 1939
- Dokumente des Herzens, (Documents of the Heart, poems) 1944
- Hier ist das Wort, (Here is the Word, poems) 1947
- Das Waisenhaus, (The Orphanage, Novel) 1924
Sources
- Albert Berger, Josef Weinheber (1892–1945). Leben und Werk - Leben im Werk (Salzburg: Müller 1999). ISBN 3-7013-1003-3
- Albert Berger, 'Götter, Dämonen und Irdische: Josef Weinhebers dichterische Metaphysik', In: Klaus Amann und Albert Berger (Eds.): Österreichische Literatur der dreissiger Jahre (Vienna, etc.: Böhlau 1985). ISBN 3-205-07252-9
- W. H. Auden, "Josef Weinheber." Collected Poems (New York: Modern Library, 2007). ISBN 978-0-679-64350-0
- Harry Bergholz, Josef Weinheber. Bibliographie (Bad Bocklet etc.: Krieg 1953). (= Bibliotheca bibliographica 14).
- Christoph Fackelmann, Die Sprachkunst Josef Weinhebers und ihre Leser. Annäherungen an die Werkgestalt in wirkungsgeschichtlicher Perspektive (Vienna/Münster 2005). ISBN 3-8258-8620-4
- Jan Zimmermann, Die Kulturpreise der Stiftung F.V.S. 1935 - 1945. Darstellung und Dokumentation. Edited by the Alfred-Toepfer-Stiftung F.V.S. (Hamburg, Christians 2000).
- Fritz Feldner, Josef Weinheber. Eine Dokumentation in Bild und Wort (Salzburg etc., Das Berglandbuch 1965).
- Edmund Finke, Josef Weinheber. Der Mensch und das Werk (Salzburg etc., Pilgram 1950).
- Friedrich Heer, 'Josef Weinheber aus Wien,' in: Frankfurter Hefte 8, (1953), pp. 590–602.
- Rudolf Ibel, Mensch der Mitte. George - Carossa - Weinheber (Hamburg,: Holstein Verlag 1962).
- Friedrich Jenaczek, Josef Weinheber 1892-1945. Exhibition set up by the Josef Weinheber Society in the Austrian National Library, 7 December 1995 to 31 Jänner 1996. (Kirchstetten: Josef Weinheber Society 1995).
- Paul Anton Keller, Dreigestirn. Josef Weinheber, Max Mell, Josef Friedrich Perkonig. Begegnungen. Erinnerungen (Maria-Rain, Petrei 1963).
- Franz Koch, Josef Weinheber (München, Langen/Müller 1942).
- Dietrich Kralik, Josef Weinheber. Ehrendoktor der Philosophie der Universität Wien (Vienna, Verlag der Ringbuchhandlung anno 1943). (= Wiener wissenschaftliche Vorträge und Reden; 5)
- Eduard Kranner, Als er noch lebte. Erinnerungen an Josef Weinheber. (Krems, Faber 1967).
- Walter Marinovic, Deutsche Dichtung aus Österreich. Schönherr - Weinheber - Waggerl. (Vienna, Österr. Landsmannschaft 1997). (= Eckartschriften; 143)
- Josef Nadler, Josef Weinheber. Geschichte seines Lebens und seiner Dichtung (Salzburg, O. Müller 1952).
- Heinrich Zillich (Ed.), Bekenntnis zu Josef Weinheber. Erinnerungen seiner Freunde (Salzburg, Akad. Gemeinschaftsverlag 1950).
External links
- Literature of and about Josef Weinheber in the Catalogue 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...
http://dispatch.opac.d-nb.de/DB=4.1/REL?PPN=118766287 - Extract about Josef Weinheber in the Austria-Lexikon of aeiou http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.encyclop.w/w319767.htm
- Edition of the Poems of Josef Weinheber http://www.fa-kuan.muc.de/WEINHEB.HTML
- Vienna LandstraßeLandstraßeLandstraße is the 3rd municipal District of Vienna, Austria] . It is near the center of Vienna and was established in the 19th century. Landstraße is a heavily populated urban area with many workers and residential homes. It has inhabitants in an area of 7.42 km². It has existed since...
District Museum, Weinheber Room http://www.bezirksmuseum.at/landstrasse/page.asp/index.htm