Günther Krupkat
Günther Krupkat was a German writer and editor born on July 5, 1905, in Berlin. His early exposure to science fiction was influenced by Aleksey Tolstoy's novel *Aelita*, prompting him to write his own stories, although he faced challenges getting published. Throughout his life, he worked in various jobs, including factory work and journalism, and was involved with the Communist Party, which led him to flee to Czechoslovakia when the Nazis came to power. After World War II, he settled in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and became a freelance writer in 1955, contributing to the science fiction genre and serving as chairman of a writers' group within the GDR's writers' federation from 1972 to 1978.
Krupkat's notable works include the science fiction novel *Nabou*, which explores a geologist's expedition to the Earth's crust, and *Als die Götter Starben*, which theorizes that extraterrestrials influenced ancient structures in Lebanon. His writings also encompass detective novels and a television miniseries. Despite his contributions to literature, none of his works have been translated into English, limiting their accessibility to a broader audience. Krupkat passed away in 1990, leaving behind a diverse body of work that reflects both his creative prowess and the historical context of his life.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Günther Krupkat
Writer
- Born: July 5, 1905
- Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
- Died: 1990
Biography
Günther Krupkat was born on July 5, 1905, in Berlin, Germany. In 1924, he read Aleksey Tolstoy’s 1923 science-fiction novel Aelita, the story of a Russian mission to Mars for the purpose of establishing Communism there. The colonists discover that the inhabitants of Mars are actually human descendants of the survivors of Atlantis. This book inspired Krupkat to write a science-fiction novel, but no publisher bought it. He was, however, able to sell some short stories.
Unable to complete his engineering degree because of a lack of money, Krupkat tried his hand at several jobs, including factory worker, electrician, journalist, and broadcaster. He was a member of the Communist Party when the Nazis came to power in 1933 and eventually had to flee to Czechoslovakia. After the war, he became an editor and settled in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), also known as East Germany. This was the portion of Germany controlled by the Soviet Union until 1989. Krupkat became a freelance writer in 1955. He was allowed to travel extensively to western Europe, Latin America, and Asia, and he was chairman of the working group of science-fiction writers in the GDR’s writers’ federation from 1972 to 1978.
In his science-fiction novel Nabou, a vehicle is constructed that can penetrate the earth’s crust. The main character is a geologist named Pertenkamp who leads this future 1996 expedition that originates in Beirut. The premise of Als die Götter Starben (as the gods died) is that extraterrestrials built the terraces at Baalbek in Lebanon, as in the theories of Eric von Daniken. Die Grosse Grenze (the large border) predicted the race to the moon in 1960. His short story “Die Unsichtbaren” (“the invisible ones”), which appeared in Roman-Zeiting (novel-newspaper) in 1956, shows his concept at the time of what 1999 would be like. His short fiction also appeared in publications such as Das Neue Abenteur (the new adventure) and Kleine Jugendreihe (small youth row) and in the anthology Das Zeitfahrrad (the time bicycle).
Krupkat did not write science fiction exclusively. Das Schiff der Verlorenen (the ship of losing) and Das Gesicht (the face) are both detective novels. In addition to fiction, he also wrote the television miniseries Die Stunde des Skorpions (hour of the scorpio), which consisted of three one hour episodes, and the playAR 2 ruft IKARUS (ACRE 2 calls IKARUS), which was performed in Erfurt, Germany, in 1962. He died in 1990. Unfortunately, his works have never been translated into English.