Hans José Rehfisch
Hans José Rehfisch was a prominent German dramatist born on April 10, 1891, in Berlin. Raised in a family with a medical and musical background, he pursued higher education in political science and law at various prestigious universities, ultimately becoming a practicing lawyer and judge. However, he transitioned to theater, becoming a prolific playwright known for his contributions to the genre of Gebrauchsstück, which emphasized unanswered societal questions through dramatic storytelling. His works gained significant acclaim in the 1920s, making him one of the most frequently performed dramatists of the era.
Rehfisch is best known for his play "Die Affäre Dreyfus," co-authored with Wilhelm Herzog, which explored themes of nationalism, militarism, and anti-Semitism, reflecting the socio-political climate of Germany at the time. His outspoken criticism of these issues led to his inclusion on a Nazi Party blacklist, resulting in his arrest in 1933. After his release in 1936, he spent 14 years in exile across Austria, England, and the United States, where he continued to engage with the theatrical community. Upon returning to Germany in 1950, Rehfisch resumed his influential role in the theater until his passing in Switzerland on June 9, 1960.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Hans José Rehfisch
Playwright
- Born: April 10, 1891
- Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
- Died: June 9, 1960
- Place of death: Schuls, Switzerland
Biography
Hans José Rehfisch was born on April 10, 1891, in Berlin, Germany, to Eugen Rehfisch, a physician, and Hedwig Manczik, a musician. His father worked for the national health insurance plan and developed the electrocardiogram, thereby earning the title of professor of medicine. Rehfisch graduated from Leibniz Gymnasium in Berlin in 1909 and studied at the Universities of Berlin, Heidelberg, and Grenoble, eventually receiving two degrees from the University of Wuurzburg, one in political science, the other in law.
He practiced law and was a judge in Berlin before he turned his life over to the theater. He became a prolific dramatist, producing almost a play a year. Most of his plays, especially in his later years, made him a heavily sought after playwright. He became the leading author of a form of drama in 1920’s Germany known as Gebrauchsstuuck, a journalistic style which posed questions that were left unanswered. These works translated contemporary events into dramatic action. Rehfisch was one of the most frequently performed dramatists between 1919 and the mid-1930’s. Well-known directors staged his work and actors, such as Marlene Dietrich and Oskar Homolka, vied to star in his productions.
His most famous play, Die Affäre Dreyfus, coauthored with Wilhem Herzog and produced in 1929, concerned those on the brink of power and may have been too successful in capturing the prevailing mood in Germany. The drama took place in 1884 and involved a French army officer, Alfred Dreyfus, a Jew, who was charged with selling military secrets to the Germans. Many thought that Dreyfus was being set up, including French writer Emile Zola who wrote a scathing attack on French military conduct in an effort to exonerate him. Dreyfus was sent to Devil’s Island but later freed. The play’s criticism of nationalism, militarism, political extremism, and anti-Semitism may have led to Rehfisch being included on a list of undesirable writers in a 1932 Nazi Party publication, Voolkischer Beobachter.
In 1931, Rehfisch was made president of the Association of German Stage Writers and Composers, but his tenure ended in 1933 when he was arrested and imprisoned. He was released in 1936 and began a fourteen-year exile, first in Vienna, Austria, then in England, and finally in the United States. In 1945, he taught a course on directing at the Piscator Dramatic Workshop in New York City, and then become a lecturer in sociology from 1947 to 1949 at the New School for Social Research. He returned to Germany in 1950 to become president of the Verband deutscher Buuhnenschriftsteller und Buuhnenkamponistenn (Guild of German Dramatists and Composers for the Stage). He rewrote many of his plays and remained actively involved in the German theatrical scene until his death in Schuls, Switzerland, on June 9, 1960.