Leonhard Frank
Encyclopedia
Leonhard Frank was a German
expressionist
writer
. He studied painting
and graphic art in Munich
, and gained acclaim with his first novel, The Robber Band (1914, tr. 1928). When a Berlin journalist celebrated in a famous café about news of the loss of the ship RMS Lusitania
, torpedoed by a German submarine, Frank was upset - and slapped the man in his face. That is why he went into exile in Switzerland
(1915-18), where he wrote a series of pacifist short-stories published under the title Man is Good. He returned to Germany, but after the Nazis gained power in 1933 Frank had to emigrate a second time. He lived in Switzerland again, moved to London then Paris and finally fled under adventurous conditions to the United States
in 1940, and returned to Munich in 1950 following the war. His best-known novels were In the Last Coach (1925, tr. 1935) and Carl and Anna which he dramatized in 1929. In 1947 MGM made a movie titled Desire Me out of this story.
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...
expressionist
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
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 studied painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and graphic art 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...
, and gained acclaim with his first novel, The Robber Band (1914, tr. 1928). When a Berlin journalist celebrated in a famous café about news of the loss of the ship RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
, torpedoed by a German submarine, Frank was upset - and slapped the man in his face. That is why he went into exile 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....
(1915-18), where he wrote a series of pacifist short-stories published under the title Man is Good. He returned to Germany, but after the Nazis gained power in 1933 Frank had to emigrate a second time. He lived in Switzerland again, moved to London then Paris and finally fled under adventurous conditions to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1940, and returned to Munich in 1950 following the war. His best-known novels were In the Last Coach (1925, tr. 1935) and Carl and Anna which he dramatized in 1929. In 1947 MGM made a movie titled Desire Me out of this story.