Wolfdietrich Schnurre
Wolfdietrich Schnurre was a German writer and critic born in Frankfurt in 1920, who experienced a tumultuous life marked by the impacts of World War II. After moving to Berlin at a young age, he faced the harsh realities of the war, serving in the German forces and enduring significant injuries before deserting and being captured by American troops. Following the war, Schnurre shifted his focus to literature, becoming a prominent figure in the magic realism genre and joining Gruppe 47, a collective of influential German writers. His literary works spanned various forms, including novels, poetry, and plays, often reflecting his experiences during the war and his subsequent emotional recovery.
Schnurre received several accolades throughout his career, including the Immermann Prize in 1948 and later significant awards like the George Büchner Prize in 1983. His personal life included the tragic suicide of his first wife, writer Eva Merz, and a second marriage to illustrator Marina Kamin. As a politically engaged writer, Schnurre actively protested against the Berlin Wall, advocating for communication and connection between divided communities. Through his diverse body of work and political activism, Schnurre left a lasting impact on German literature and culture.
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Wolfdietrich Schnurre
Writer
- Born: August 22, 1920
- Birthplace: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Died: June 9, 1989
- Place of death: Kiel, Germany
Biography
Wolfdietrich Schnurre, son of librarian and scientist Otto Schnurre, was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1920. His family moved to Berlin when he was eight years old, and there he attended a socialist elementary school until 1934, at which time he enrolled at a humanistic secondary school, finishing in 1939. He was drafted to serve in the German forces during World War II and suffered numerous injuries before deserting and being captured by American troops. Following a postwar emotional breakdown, Schnurre recovered in 1946 and settled in Berlin, where he worked as a theater and film critic for periodicals and where he soon began writing stories of magic realism. He joined Gruppe 47, a society of German writers, as one of the first members in September, 1947, and remained a member of the group until 1951. The City of Düsseldorf awarded him the Immermann Prize in 1948.
Schnurre married fellow writer Eva Merz in 1952 and began exploring various modes of writing, including works that resembled diaries, his first such publication being Sternstaub und Sänfte: Aufzeichnungen des Pudels Ali, published in 1953. He also wrote novels, poetry, nonfiction, and radio and television plays, and his experiences as a German in the World War II era featured in many of his writings. He won the Prize of the Young Generation of the City of Berlin and the Georg Mackensen Literature Prize in 1958 and 1962, respectively. His wife Eva committed suicide in 1965, and Schnurre married illustrator Marina Kamin in 1966.
As his writing career progressed, Schnurre also developed a political voice, speaking out against the Berlin Wall through speeches, letters, and newspaper articles. He traveled to the border where the wall was being erected to try to speak with the masons and to make a point of waving to and communicating with those on the other side of the wall, even as the border police watched. His later awards included the Great Service Cross of the Federal Republic and the Award of the Order of Merit in 1981, the Cologne Literature Prize in 1982, and the George Büchner Prize in 1983.