Fritz Mühlenweg
Fritz Mühlenweg was a German chemist and author born on December 11, 1898, in Constance, Germany. After taking over his father's chemical business, he transitioned to a career with Lufthansa Airlines in Berlin, which led him on several expeditions to China and the Gobi Desert during the late 1920s. These journeys were marked by both danger and fascination, including a kidnapping incident and a rich exploration of the region's cultures, which Mühlenweg embraced by learning the Mongolian language. Following a period of artistic study in Vienna, where he met his wife, Elisabeth Kopriva, he tried to establish himself as a landscape painter. His literary career began during World War II, resulting in notable works such as his children's novel "In geheimer Mission durch die Wüste Gobi," which garnered critical acclaim for its portrayal of Mongolian life. Mühlenweg remained dedicated to documenting his experiences through writing, culminating in a posthumous publication of his travel journals. He passed away on September 13, 1961, and left a legacy that includes insights into Mongolian culture, reflected in his writings and the accolades they received.
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Fritz Mühlenweg
Author
- Born: December 11, 1898
- Birthplace: Constance, Germany
- Died: September 13, 1961
- Place of death: Allensbach, Germany
Biography
Fritz Mühlenweg was born on December 11, 1898, in Constance, Germany. His father was a chemist, and when Mühlenweg was old enough he learned the trade and took over the family business after his father’s death. In 1926, Mühlenweg closed the business and moved to Berlin, where he found a job with Lufthansa Airlines. The next year, Lufthansa planned to establish flights between Berlin and Beijing, China. To map the region and gather data about Asian weather conditions, Lufthansa sponsored an expedition to China, and Mühlenweg went along to handle logistics and finances. In 1929 and 1931, Lufthansa sent him to the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia to conduct meteorological studies.
These expeditions were dangerous and exciting, and Mühlenweg recorded details of his trips in a journal and in letters home to his family. On one trip, he was kidnapped by bandits. After escaping and making his way through the desert, he was rescued by Mongolian cavalry. On another trip, his mission was to pick up a German meteorologist at a weather station that had been the site of a murder and suicide. Mühlenweg enjoyed his work in Mongolia, and he was unusual among his colleagues in being genuinely interested in learning about the Chinese and Mongolian people he met. With serious effort, he became fluent in the Mongolian language.
In 1932, Mühlenweg considered moving to New Zealand, but decided instead to return to Europe and attend art school in Vienna, Austria. There he met and married Elisabeth Kopriva, another art student. The couple had seven children, who often begged their father for stories of his Asian adventures. For the first years of their marriage, Mühlenweg tried unsuccessfully to earn a living as a landscape painter, while Elisabeth wrote and illustrated religious books. During World War II, he was drafted to work as an interpreter for the German customs office in Bordeaux, France.
During these years he worked on his first book, a translation of Chinese poems he called Tausendjähriger Bambus (1946) The book was illustrated with Mühlenweg’s own paintings. In 1948, he wrote a short story based on his Mongolian expeditions. The story led to the novel In geheimer Mission durch die Wüste Gobi (1950; Big Tiger and Christian, 1952). Although he had not intended the novel as a children’s book, he had difficulty finding a publisher until he agreed to target it toward young adults. He published several other books, including Fremde auf dem Pfad der Nachdenklichkeit, a slightly fictionalized version of the journals he kept during his Mongolian travels that was published posthumously in 1992. Mühlenweg died on September 13, 1961, in Allensbach, Germany, followed two days later by the death of his wife.
In 2005, Mühlenweg’s daughter’s published an illustrated volume of his letters, journals, and reports from the Mongolian expeditions as Drei Mal Mongolei. In geheimer Mission durch die Wüste Gobi attracted attention and praise for its insightful and sympathetic portrayals of the Mongolian people and culture. It won the 1955 Friedrich- Gerstacker Award.