Hermann Stehr
Hermann Stehr (1864-1940) was a German writer from Habelschwerdt, Silesia (now Poland), known for his exploration of dark themes and personal anguish in his literary works. Coming from a strict Catholic upbringing, Stehr rebelled against the religious constraints of his youth, which ultimately led to conflicts with school authorities during his brief career as an elementary school teacher. After experiencing significant personal tragedies, including the illness of his wife and the death of his children, he turned to writing as a means of coping with his melancholy and insomnia.
His literary career began in earnest with the publication of two novellas in 1898, which featured protagonists who grappled with despair and suicide. Over time, his writing evolved, incorporating themes such as marital infidelity and a shift towards less grim narratives. Notable works include "Der Heiligenhof," which achieved considerable sales, and "Drei Nachte," where he introduced a recurring character whose confessions reveal universal truths. Stehr's autobiography, "Mein Leben," published in 1934, reflects his dedication to his literary vision and the muse he felt compelled to serve. Throughout his career, he received several prestigious awards, underscoring his impact on German literature.
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Hermann Stehr
- Born: February 16, 1864
- Birthplace: Habelschwerdt bei Glatz, Schlesien, Germany (now Poland)
- Died: September 11, 1940
- Place of death: Oberschreiberhau, Schlesien, Germany
Biography
Hermann Stehr was born to Robert and Theresa Farber Stehr on February 16, 1864, in Habelschwerdt, Silesia (now Poland). As a child, he rebelled against his strict Catholic upbringing. He attended the local schools, and he eventually studied at Habelschwerdt to become an elementary school teacher. However, his apparent atheism and nonattendance at church angered school authorities, and he lost his meager scholarship.
His career as a teacher was short-lived because he continued to have problems with school authorities. He was dismissed from his first permanent position, and he spent the next several years as a substitute teacher in the remote mountainous area of Silesia. As a result of his failures and the isolation that he felt, Stehr suffered from insomnia and depression. When he finally reached an adequate annual salary, he married Hedwig Nentwig. Following his marriage, his depression eased somewhat, but when his wife became ill and his first three children died, his melancholy returned. To ease his mind, Stehr began writing.
Stehr had rejected the Catholic dogma of his childhood, and for much of his life he sought a God who would not rule the world arbitrarily. His anguish led him to contemplate suicide. However, he found solace in writing, even though he often destroyed whatever he wrote. In 1898, a reader at the publishing house of S. Fischer took an interest in Stehr’s work and published two of his novellas in a volume titled Auf Leben und Tod. The subjects of both novellas were grim, and in each story, the protagonist commits suicide. The publication of the two novellas launched Stehr’s literary career, and he wrote prolifically during his lifetime.
In 1900, after receiving approval from the regional cultural minister in Breslau, Stehr was transferred to Dittersbach. After his transfer, his writing was less dark and depressing. Also in 1900, another of his novels, Leonore Griebel, was published. In this novel, Stehr introduced what was to become a recurring theme in his work, marital infidelity. The change in the tone of his writing is evident in his novel, Drei Nachte, published in 1909. The novel is written as a confessional by the protagonist, Franz Faber. Faber reappears in later novels as the bearer of universal truths.
Der Heiligenhof, published in 1918, was one of Stehr’s top-selling books, although it only sold about half a million copies. The lack of sales did not bother him, because he felt that the general public would misunderstand his work. Stehr published his autobiography, Mein Leben in 1934, and in it he described how he had devoted his life to the visions within him, and to the goddess of poetry whom he served. Stehr received several awards for his writing including a Bauernfeld prize, a Fastenrath prize, a Schiller prize, and Goethe prize, among others.