Oskar Maria Graf
Oskar Maria Graf was a notable Bavarian writer and dissident, born in 1894 into a family of bakers in Berg, Bavaria, Germany. His early life was marked by his work in the family bakery, and after being conscripted into the army during World War I, he faced legal troubles for defying military orders, which led to a brief stint in jail and subsequent transfer to an asylum. Graf's literary career is characterized by autobiographical works that reflect his advocacy for socialist causes and depict the struggles of everyday life in Bavaria.
Throughout his life, he was a vocal critic of the Nazi regime and addressed the atrocities committed during that era in his writings. His political views, particularly his admiration for Karl Marx, made him controversial during the Cold War, especially amid the Red Scare in the United States. Nevertheless, he found a more welcoming audience in Europe, where he gained popularity. Graf's work included adaptations of his novels into films in the 1970s and he played a significant role in the literary community, including leadership positions in the German American Writer's Association and both the West and East Berlin Academies of Arts. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1958, receiving an honorary doctorate from Wayne State University in 1960, before passing away in New York in 1967.
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Oskar Maria Graf
Author
- Born: July 22, 1894
- Birthplace: Berg, on Lake Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany
- Died: June 28, 1967
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Oskar Maria Graf was born the ninth child of a family of bakers in 1894. As a teenager, he worked at the family bakery in Berg, Bavaria, Germany, under the direction of his brother, who had inherited the company from their late father. Conscripted into the army in 1914, Graf blatantly disobeyed direct orders and landed in jail. In a deft move, though, he claimed to be insane and was transferred to an asylum. A short marriage to Karoline Bretting in 1917 yielded his only child, but he had a more permanent relationship with his second wife, Mirjam Sacks. His final marriage would be to Gisela Blauner following Sacks’s death in 1959.
Graf wrote primarily autobiographical works that were meant to convey his support for socialist causes and portray the hardships of provincial and petty bourgeois life in Bavaria. A humanitarian at the core, Graf spoke out against the Nazi movement and wrote several novels that illuminated some of the types of atrocities that were part of it. Graf came under fire during the Cold War and Vietnam era because his vocal admiration for Karl Marx, among other prominent Socialist and Communist politicians, made him a target during the Red Scare. His notoriety in the U.S. helped him achieve widespread popularity in Europe’s more open and accepting circles. Two of his novels were adapted into movies in the 1970’s: The Station Master and The Hard Deal.
Graf was heavily involved in the literary community that founded the German American Writer’s Association. He presided over Aurora Verlag while serving as an instrumental part of both the West Berlin Academy of Arts and the East Berlin Academy of Arts. He was presented with an honorary doctorate from Wayne State University in 1960. Graf died in New York in 1967 after immigrating to the U.S. in 1958.