Wilhelm Stepper-Tristis
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Stepper-Tristis was an Austro-Hungarian
, Hungarian
and Romania
n novelist, journalist, and literary critic. He wrote his works in German
, Hungarian
and French
. A communist
militant during his youth, he actively supported the Hungarian Soviet Republic
, and, during the interwar period
, was a prominent figure in the cultural life of Timişoara
city. His first novel, Brom-Delirium, was a critically acclaimed portrayal of Bohemian
lifestyles.
An anti-fascist
, Stepper-Tristis traveled extensively throughout Europe, preaching pacifism
and drawing support for the League of Nations
. He lived for a while in France
, but was mostly reduced to homelessness
and vagabondage
. He joined the French Resistance
following the occupation of France by Nazi Germany
, was captured, and probably died in a concentration camp
.
at age 18, he enrolled in the Austro-Hungarian Army
and took part in World War I
, being sent to the Italian Front
. He fought in the Battles of the Isonzo
, and specifically in the Battle of Gorizia
.
In 1919, in the wake of the Aster Revolution
, Stepper-Tristis was in Budapest
, where he became a supporter of the Communist Party of Hungary
. As the Romanian Army ended the communist experiment later in the year, he moved out of the city and embarked on a lengthy and perilous voyage through regions of Central Europe
. Eventually, he regained his native Timişoara, which was by then part of Greater Romania
. Stepper-Tristis started work for local German- and Hungarian-language newspapers, and became known inside the community of writers and artists. He was a popular figure in the society of Timişoara, and a celebrated raconteur.
Fascinated with France, he frequently traveled there and was fully integrated into the Bohemian society of Paris
. This period was the subject of Brom-Delirium (1926), which was published in Timişoara and won the praise of modernist
writers in Budapest. By 1928, he was the head of a literary society (the "Artists' Club"), which grouped together intellectual
s from all backgrounds—members of the German
, Hungarian, Jewish
and Serb communities alike.
In 1930, Stepper-Tristis decided to permanently leave Romania and move to France. Beginning in 1933, at signs that a war was under preparation, he became an activist in support for the League of Nations and initiated campaigns to raise awareness. Trying to return to Romania, Stepper spent time in Fascist Italy
, passing through Verona
and Milan
—he was arrested there after being found sleeping on the streets, lacking any income. Released soon after, he later claimed to have unsuccessfully asked the Italian authorities to escort him to the Yugoslavian
border.
Shortly before World War II
erupted, he was again imprisoned in Nice
for a duration of 30 days—it was then that he authored his second novel, Mon espace vital. The volume was an account of his years as a drifter, and was published soon after in Paris. After the fall of France
, Stepper-Tristis joined the Resistance. As the novel shows, he was romantically involved with a Frenchwoman named Clémence, who had promised to wait for him to be set free.
Little is known about his life after that point, but it is clear that, in autumn 1941, he was captured by the Gestapo
at a train station in Lyon
. He was soon after sent to a concentration camp
. No definitive proof of his death was ever found.
Stepper's work was ignored in post-war Romania, although texts by him were first translated and republished in 1986 Bucharest
-based magazine Secolul 20. Additional interest for his literature was raised by literary critic and West University
professor Adriana Babeţi.
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n novelist, journalist, and literary critic. He wrote his works in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. A 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...
militant during his youth, he actively supported the Hungarian Soviet Republic
Hungarian Soviet Republic
The Hungarian Soviet Republic or Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived Communist state established in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I....
, and, during the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
, was a prominent figure in the cultural life of Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
city. His first novel, Brom-Delirium, was a critically acclaimed portrayal of Bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
lifestyles.
An anti-fascist
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
, Stepper-Tristis traveled extensively throughout Europe, preaching pacifism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
and drawing support for 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...
. He lived for a while 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...
, but was mostly reduced to homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
and vagabondage
Vagabond (person)
A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
. He joined the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
following the occupation of France by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, was captured, and probably died in a concentration camp
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
.
Biography
Born in Timişoara (known then as Temeschwar or Temesvár), Wilhelm Stepper-Tristis belonged to an old family of Jewish merchants. Soon after receiving his maturaMatura
Matura or a similar term is the common name for the high-school leaving exam or "maturity exam" in various countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia,...
at age 18, he enrolled in the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
and took part in World War I
World 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...
, being sent to the Italian Front
Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
. He fought in the Battles of the Isonzo
Battles of the Isonzo
The Battles of the Isonzo were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I. They were fought along the Soča River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917...
, and specifically in the Battle of Gorizia
Sixth Battle of the Isonzo
The Sixth Battle of the Isonzo also known as the Battle of Gorizia was the most successful Italian offensive along the Soča River during World War I.- Background :...
.
In 1919, in the wake of the Aster Revolution
Aster Revolution
The Aster Revolution or Chrysanthemum Revolution was a revolution in Hungary led by leftist liberal count Mihály Károlyi, who founded the Hungarian Democratic Republic....
, Stepper-Tristis was in Budapest
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...
, where he became a supporter of the Communist Party of Hungary
Hungarian Communist Party
The Communist Party of Hungary , renamed Hungarian Communist Party in 1945, was founded on November 24, 1918, and was in power in Hungary briefly from March to August 1919 under Béla Kun and the Hungarian Soviet Republic. The communist government was overthrown by the Romanian Army and driven...
. As the Romanian Army ended the communist experiment later in the year, he moved out of the city and embarked on a lengthy and perilous voyage through regions of Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. Eventually, he regained his native Timişoara, which was by then part of Greater Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
. Stepper-Tristis started work for local German- and Hungarian-language newspapers, and became known inside the community of writers and artists. He was a popular figure in the society of Timişoara, and a celebrated raconteur.
Fascinated with France, he frequently traveled there and was fully integrated into the Bohemian society of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. This period was the subject of Brom-Delirium (1926), which was published in Timişoara and won the praise of modernist
Modernist literature
Modernist literature is sub-genre of Modernism, a predominantly European movement beginning in the early 20th century that was characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional aesthetic forms...
writers in Budapest. By 1928, he was the head of a literary society (the "Artists' Club"), which grouped together intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
s from all backgrounds—members of the German
Germans of Romania
The Germans of Romania or Rumäniendeutsche were 760,000 strong in 1930. They are not a single group; thus, to understand their language, culture, and history, one must view them as independent groups:...
, Hungarian, Jewish
History of the Jews in Romania
The history of Jews in Romania concerns the Jews of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is nowadays Romanian territory....
and Serb communities alike.
In 1930, Stepper-Tristis decided to permanently leave Romania and move to France. Beginning in 1933, at signs that a war was under preparation, he became an activist in support for the League of Nations and initiated campaigns to raise awareness. Trying to return to Romania, Stepper spent time in Fascist Italy
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
, passing through Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
—he was arrested there after being found sleeping on the streets, lacking any income. Released soon after, he later claimed to have unsuccessfully asked the Italian authorities to escort him to the Yugoslavian
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
border.
Shortly before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
erupted, he was again imprisoned in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
for a duration of 30 days—it was then that he authored his second novel, Mon espace vital. The volume was an account of his years as a drifter, and was published soon after in Paris. After the fall of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, Stepper-Tristis joined the Resistance. As the novel shows, he was romantically involved with a Frenchwoman named Clémence, who had promised to wait for him to be set free.
Little is known about his life after that point, but it is clear that, in autumn 1941, he was captured by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
at a train station in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. He was soon after sent to a concentration camp
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
. No definitive proof of his death was ever found.
Stepper's work was ignored in post-war Romania, although texts by him were first translated and republished in 1986 Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
-based magazine Secolul 20. Additional interest for his literature was raised by literary critic and West University
West University of Timisoara
The West University of Timişoara is a university located in Timişoara, Romania. Established in 1962, it is organized in 11 Faculties.-Organization:...
professor Adriana Babeţi.