Ulrich Plenzdorf
Ulrich Plenzdorf (1934-2007) was a prominent German writer and screenwriter, largely recognized for his contributions to East German literature and film. Born in Berlin, he navigated the complexities of creative expression within a repressive communist regime. After attending the Franz Mehring Institute and completing his studies at a film academy, Plenzdorf began his career with DEFA, the state film company, where he faced challenges due to the strict censorship of the East German government.
His notable work, "Die neuen Leiden des jungen W." (The New Sufferings of Young W.), published in 1973, draws parallels to Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther" and explores the struggles of a young individual seeking happiness within a constrained society. The protagonist's journey reflects a deep philosophical conflict that Plenzdorf himself grappled with, particularly regarding the tension between individual desires and societal expectations. The evolution of this character—from a hopeful figure to one who ultimately commits suicide—illustrates the pervasive challenges faced by youth under authoritarian rule.
Plenzdorf's storytelling not only resonated with the experiences of East Germans but also highlighted the broader existential dilemmas of individuals in oppressive regimes. His works, including the screenplay for "Die Legende von Paul und Paula," continue to be significant in discussions of identity and freedom in restrictive political contexts.
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Ulrich Plenzdorf
Writer
- Born: October 26, 1934
- Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
- Died: August 9, 2007
- Place of death: Germany
Biography
Ulrich Plenzdorf was born in Berlin, Germany, on October 26, 1934, and spent most of his career working in East Germany. He briefly attended the Franz Mehring Institute in Leipzig but after military service from 1958 through 1959, he entered a film academy in Potsdam. Upon completing the academy’s course of study in 1963, he immediately began working for DEFA, the East German state film company. Plenzdorf’s career reflects the problem many writers experienced in East Germany in the second half of the twentieth century: how to be creative without running afoul of Communist Party authorities. His first screenplay Mir nach, Canaillen! (1964), chose a safe historical subject, but with his second, Karla (1964), a film about a young progressive teacher and her rigid principal, he ran into problems with the state authorities and the film based on his screenplay was never released.
Plenzdorf became a household name after 1973, when his novel Die neuen Leiden des jungen W., based on his 1972 play, was published; a film adaptation was released in 1976, and an English translation, The New Sufferings of Young W., was published in 1979. Paralleling the famous and classic novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), Plenzdorf’s work confronts the dilemma of a young protagonist trying to find happiness at the same time that he follows the dictates of a highly regimented society. The history of the work shows that Plenzdorf never resolved this dilemma. In his first version of the novel, the young protagonist, Edgar, becomes a hero in East German society, but in the version published in 1973 (and in the 1979 English translation) he ends up committing suicide. In May, 1973, the head of the East German government, Erich Honecker, gave a speech denouncing writers who give undue attention to the difficulties of individuals, and it was readily assumed that he was referring to Plenzdorf’s novel.
Plenzdorf’s difficulties continued until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the East German state in 1990. His screenplay for the film Die Legende von Paul und Paula (1973; The Tale of Paul and Paula (1987) and his novel Die Legende vom Glück ohne Ende (1979) struggle with the question of how the individual can find happiness in the regimented state. He will always be known as a writer who articulated the problems, especially of young people, in an authoritarian state, and the unresolved conflicts between the individual and society in such a world.