Albert Ehrenstein
Albert Ehrenstein was an Austrian writer and poet, born on December 22, 1886, in Vienna. He faced significant challenges in his early life, including a physical affliction known as wryneck and the pressures of an ambitious mother, which led to a nervous breakdown at the age of twenty. Despite these difficulties, Ehrenstein earned a doctorate in history and philosophy from the University of Vienna in 1910 and published his first novel, *Tubutsch*, in 1911. This work resonated with the feelings of alienation prevalent among European intellectuals of the early 20th century.
Ehrenstein's experiences during World War I, including the loss of a brother, transformed him into a pacifist and socialist, prompting him to write antiwar poetry that ultimately forced him into exile in Switzerland. His literary contributions in the 1920s were influential within the German expressionist movement and often addressed themes of oppression and capitalism. However, the rise of Nazism in the early 1930s led to the banning of many of his works in Germany. After relocating to New York in 1941 with assistance from critics and Jewish organizations, Ehrenstein struggled to find a platform for his writings. He passed away on April 8, 1950, leaving behind a legacy of poignant literature reflective of his tumultuous life experiences. His literary papers are preserved at the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem.
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Albert Ehrenstein
Writer
- Born: December 22, 1886
- Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
- Died: April 8, 1950
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Albert Ehrenstein was born December 22, 1886, in Vienna, Austria, the son of Alexander Ehrenstein, a clerk, and Charlotte Neuer Ehrenstein. As a child, he suffered from wryneck (also called torticollis), an affliction of the neck muscles that forces the head into a contorted position. This condition and the pressures exerted by his ambitious mother led to a nervous breakdown when he was twenty. Still, he received a doctorate in history and philosophy from the University of Vienna in 1910 and published his first novel, Tubutsch, in 1911. This powerful description of the miseries of everyday life in Vienna seen through the eyes of a neurotic protagonist captured the sense of alienation felt by many European intellectuals in the early twentieth century. Unfit for military service, Ehrenstein worked in the Austrian War Archives in 1914 before moving to Berlin and briefly working in publishing. World War I killed one of his older brothers and turned Ehrenstein into a pacifist and socialist. His antiwar poems brought him unwanted attention and forced him to flee to Switzerland. He also helped his friend Oskar Kokoschka, the Austrian painter and writer, avoid military service.
His poetry from this period has been characterized as belonging to the German expressionist movement that flourished in the 1920’s. Although he returned briefly to Berlin after the war, Ehrenstein began to travel extensively, became interested in Chinese literature, and eventually became a Buddhist. Ehrenstein’s poetry and essays in the 1920’s dealt with the oppressed and attacked capitalists. He also wrote poems inspired by his unrequited love for the Austrian actress Elisabeth Bergner. With the rise of Nazism in the early 1930’s, his explicitly political and sexual books were banned in Germany. In 1941 the efforts of critic Kurt Pinthus and the American-Jewish Committee allowed him to move from Brissago, Switzerland, where his friend and benefactor Bernhard Mayer had given him a home, to New York. Though an American edition of Tubutsch appeared in 1946, Ehrenstein was unable to interest American publishers, who considered his writings too esoteric. He was also unable to find Austrian or German publishers willing to reprint his books. In deteriorating health from sclerosis of the brain, Ehrenstein died of complications from a stroke on April 8, 1950. His papers are in the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem.