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The nature of creativity changes over time. The XNUMXth century led to the education of multifaceted talented creators and thinkers.
The artist is almost certainly a composer, a statesman – a philosopher. The XNUMXth century already shows the emergence of creative specializations – philosopher, psychologist, sociologist, novelist.
Germany gave birth to entire dynasties of talented statesmen, thinkers and enlighteners. From classical romanticism to psychologism and surrealism, the range of what German writers and philosophers gave to the literary world is immense.
Hoffmann and Goethe, the Grimm brothers and the Mann brothers, Nietzsche and Kafka … Let’s see what these people from the list of the most famous German writers are famous for and what literary mark they happened to leave.
10 Gunther Grass
A striking feature of the works of the writer, born in 1927, is the combination of the grotesque with surrealism.
Already in the debut novel “The Tin Drum” these features manifested themselves so clearly that Gunther Grass He was awarded a literary prize only for reading excerpts from an unfinished work.
In 1961, the sequel to The Drum, Cat and Mouse, was released, and in 1965, Dog Years, the final novel of the trilogy.
The writer has always been concerned about the problems of the history of Nazism, understanding the world tragedy that happened. This was especially important for him, because Günther served as a volunteer in the SS troops – he fought, was wounded, was taken prisoner.
- Tin Drum (1959)
- Cat and Mouse (1961)
- Dog Years (1965)
9. Thomas and Heinrich Mann
At the end of the XNUMXth century, Germany gave history a lot of writers. In the Mann merchant family alone, two sons were born who became eminent writers and founders of a literary dynasty.
In 1871 year was born Henry Mann, who gained worldwide fame after the release of the novel The Promised Land in 1900. Bright evil satire is combined with a deep psychological analysis.
From 1914 to 1925, the writer creates the trilogy “Empire”, the very first novel of which (“Loyal Subject”) brings world fame. A cross-cutting feature of all works is the malicious criticism of imperialism and the short-sightedness of the bourgeoisie.
- Promised Land (1900)
- Goddesses, or Three Novels of the Duchess of Assy (1903)
- The Young Years of King Henry IV (1935)
- The Mature Years of King Henry IV (1938)
His younger brother Thomas (born 1875) held diametrically opposed beliefs, which led to numerous quarrels with his brother (in whose magazine the young Thomas made his debut) and even a break in relations.
In 1901 year Thomas Mann achieves international recognition. The novel “Buddenbrooks” can be considered almost autobiographical – it describes in detail and with deep attention to psychology the life and decline of the merchant dynasty.
The novel was so successful that it won Thomas the Nobel Prize in 1929.
- Buddenbroky (1901)
8. Cornelia Funke
Born in 1958, the German writer has authored over 40 fantasy books. The works are aimed at children and teenagers, but also provide food for adult minds. The choice of audience is far from random. Cornelia Funke, being a social worker, she interacted a lot with children with disabilities.
Interestinglythat she first came to book publishing as an illustrator.
Five novels of the writer were filmed. The Russian audience is familiar with the film “Inkheart”, based on the novel of the same name.
Twice her works were awarded the title of “best book of the year”, and according to the magazine “Times”, Cornelia acquired the status of “the most influential German woman in the world.”
- Looking Glass (2003-2015)
- Ghostbusters (2006-2007)
- King of Thieves (2000)
- Wild Hens (1993-2003)
7. Erich Maria Remarque
Erich Paul Remarque was born in 1898 in a large family of a bookbinder. It is not surprising that sooner or later he had to prove himself as a writer.
Interesting fact: born Paul, Remarque changed his middle name to Maria in honor of his beloved, but early deceased mother.
The very first novel – All Quiet on the Western Front – brought the young author world fame and even a nomination for the Nobel Prize. But not everyone recognized the novel.
Despite the overwhelming success of the film based on it (two Oscars at once!), From both literary circles and society, the novel was sharply criticized.
- All Quiet on the Western Front (1929)
- Three comrades (1936)
- Arc de Triomphe (1945)
- Spark of Life (1952)
- Borrowed Life (1959)
- Night in Lisbon (1962)
6. Franz Kafka
The surname of this German writer and philosopher has become a household name. Born in 1883 to a Prague Jewish family, Franz Kafka, thanks to the condition of his mother, he was able to get a good education and take a quiet position with a moderate income.
But bureaucracy was deeply disgusting to the soul of a young man prone to asceticism and self-condemnation.
He hated the service, openly confessed his love for literature – but in his whole life he published only four collections of stories:
- Contemplation;
- Village doctor;
- Kari;
- Golodar.
Most of his incredible, completely supernatural work is known to us only thanks to the courage of the executor, who violated his word and refused to destroy his papers after the death of the writer.
6. Friedrich Nietzsche
“The philosopher who drove himself mad” was born in 1844. Already a high school student Friedrich Nietzsche keenly interested in ancient history, philosophy and music. He was not only a good performer, but also tried to engage in musical creativity.
Nietzsche’s success in the study of philology is confirmed by the fact that he was already invited to a position at the age of 24.
Nietzsche wrote quite a lot of scientific articles, but the publication of the first major work brought him literary fame. The novel “The Birth of Tragedy, or Hellenism and Pessimism” became a literary event.
It makes no sense to list all the works of the great psychologist and philosopher. We can only note the key ones in his work:
- The Birth of Tragedy, or Hellenism and Pessimism (1872)
- Thus spoke Zarathustra. A book for everyone and for no one (1883-1885)
- On the other side of good and evil. Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future (1886)
- The Twilight of the Idols, or How to Philosophize with a Hammer (1888)
- Antichrist. Damn Christianity (1888)
4. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Born in Berlin in 1785 Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm. A year later he joined Wilhelm Carl – and in the future the brothers were almost inseparable.
The work of the brothers is known to the Russian-speaking reader, primarily from a collection of classic German fairy tales. “Tales of the Brothers Grimm” became the basis of many works of theater and cinema, as well as literary imitations.
It was the publications of the brothers that led to the design of linguistics as an independent science. The German Dictionary, about a quarter of which the brothers themselves managed to compile during their lifetime, was completed only at the end of the XNUMXth century and covers almost all Germanic dialects.
- German dictionary (1852 to present)
- Tales (1804-1855)
3. Patrick Zuskind
Born in 1949, writer Patrick Zuskind known, in his own words, as “the author of stories that have never been published and scripts that have never been filmed.” But it is not so.
In 1980, his drama “Double Bass” brought popularity among readers and good fees.
In 1985, the public is shocked by the novel Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer. The total circulation of “Perfumer”, published in 47 languages, amounted to more than 12 million copies.
- double bass (1980)
- Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer (1985)
- Literary Amnesia (1986)
2. Ernst Hoffmann
Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann – this is the full name of the German writer, who was born in 1776 in the family of a lawyer.
Ernst Hoffmann was educated broadly and multifaceted. He left a noticeable mark in his work as an artist and composer.
Interestinglythat in 1805, out of respect for Mozart, he changed his third name to Amadeus.
Public service was boring, and Hoffmann often returned home frustrated. Ernst Hoffmann found a way out in literary work. The lines that came out from under his pen sometimes, in his own words, “horrified him himself.”
Collections of short stories “Fantasy in the manner of Callot”, “Night studies” and “Serapion brothers”, written in the spirit of late romanticism, are permeated with subtle irony. And we all know the story-tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.”
- Fantasies in the manner of Callot (1814)
- The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816)
- Night studies (1817)
- Serapion brothers (1819-1821)
- Worldly views of the cat Murr (1819-1821)
- Lord of the Fleas (1822)
1. Wolfgang Goethe
Born in 1849 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe He was distinguished by an immense breadth of outlook and interests. He is a writer, a philosopher, and a statesman.
A deep thinker does not shy away from natural science experiments, which left a deep mark in botany, biology, physics and physiology.
Do you knowthat Goethe was elected an honorary member of the Moscow Society of Naturalists?
In literature, Goethe is known as one of the founders of the movement known as “Weimar Classicism”. The very first significant work (the drama Goetz von Berlichingen) makes Goethe a famous and influential writer.
Almost immediately, the sentimental novel The Sorrows of Young Werther establishes worldwide literary fame. The main literary work is the drama “Faust”.
- The Sufferings of Young Werther (1774)
- Iphigenia in Tauride (1779-1788)
- Egmont (1788)
- Faust (1774-1832)