Luise Rinser (30 April 1911 – 17 March 2002) was a German writer, best known for her novels and short stories.

Early life and education

Luise Rinser was born on 30 April 1911 in Pitzling, a constituent community of

Landsberg am Lech Landsberg am Lech (Landsberg at the Lech (river), Lech) is a Town#Germany, town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg (district), Lands ...

, in Upper Bavaria. The house in which she was born still exists. She was educated at a

Volksschule The German term ''Volksschule'' generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend. In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primary ('' ...

in Munich, where she scored high marks in her exams. After the exams, she worked as an assistant in various schools in Upper Bavaria, where she learned the reformed pedagogical methods of Franz Seitz, who influenced her teaching and writing. During these years, she wrote her first short stories for the journal ''Herdfeuer.'' Although she did not join the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

, after 1936 she belonged to the

NS-Frauenschaft The National Socialist Women's League (german: Nationalsozialistische Frauenschaft, abbreviated ''NS-Frauenschaft'') was the women's wing of the Nazi Party. It was founded in October 1931 as a fusion of several nationalist and Nazi women's asso ...

Ernst Klee: ''Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945'', S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2007, S.487, . and until 1939 she also belonged to the Teachers' Association. In 1939, she gave up teaching and got married.

Later life

Imprisonment

In 1944, she was denounced by a Nazi 'friend' and imprisoned in the

Traunstein Traunstein (Central Bavarian: ''Traunstoa'') is a town in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and is the administrative center of a much larger district of the same name. The town serves as a local government, retail, health services, ...

women's prison. Rinser later claimed she was charged with

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

and that only the German defeat saved her from a likely

death sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

. However, documents from the Nazi-era People's Court show that she was charged with 'undermining the military', which could also carry the death penalty but did not imply conscious intent to overthrow the government. The indictment was issued in March 1945, three months after Rinser was released on a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

leave from which she never returned. Rinser would subsequently claim she had been denied leave and remained in prison until April 1945. Rinser drew attention after the war with the 1946 publication of her ''Prison Journal'' (''Gefängnistagebuch''). The inmates of the prison were not just

political dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 20th ...

s. She shared her life there with common thieves, sex offenders, vagrants and Jehovah's witnesses. Being among such people was a new experience for Rinser, with her middle-class background. The prisoners had to contend with filth, stench and disease. Starvation was rampant. Rinser herself managed to survive by helping herself to what she could pilfer in the breadcrumb factory where she was placed. She discovered for the first time how the under-privileged and the downtrodden lived and survived. She also discovered herself. The book became a bestseller and the

English-speaking world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest langua ...

discovered her through the English translation, ''Prison Journal.'' In 1947, Rinser changed her views about the usefulness of the book when she compared her experiences in

to what had taken place in

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as con ...

. However, the book was reissued twenty years later. She described herself in an ode to

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

as opposed to the Nazis.

Marriage

Her first husband and the father of her two sons, the composer and choir director Horst Günther Schnell, died on the Russian Front. After his death, she married the communist writer Klaus Herrmann. This marriage was annulled around 1952. From 1945 to 1953, she was a freelance writer for the newspaper ''Neue Zeitung München'', and took up residence in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. In 1954, she married the composer

Carl Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata '' Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Carl ...

, and they divorced in 1959. She formed a close friendship with the Korean composer

Isang Yun Isang Yun, also spelled Yun I-sang (17 September 1917 – 3 November 1995), was a Korean-born composer who made his later career in West Germany. Early life and education Yun was born in Sancheong (Sansei), Korea under Japanese rule, Chōsen ...

, with the abbot of a monastery, and with the theologian

Karl Rahner Karl Rahner (5 March 1904 – 30 March 1984) was a German Jesuit priest and theologian who, alongside Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Yves Congar, is considered to be one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of ...

. In 1959, she moved to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and later from 1965 onwards she lived in

Rocca di Papa Rocca di Papa (Roman Castles Romanesco dialect, Romanesco: ) is a small town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani about southeast of Rome on the Alban ...

, near Rome, where she was recognised as an honored resident in 1986. Afterwards, she lived at her apartment in Munich (Unterhaching) where she died on 17 March 2002.

Political activities

Rinser kept herself active in political and social discussions in Germany. She supported

Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ge ...

in his 1971-72 campaign and demonstrated with the writers

Heinrich Böll Heinrich Theodor Böll (; 21 December 1917 – 16 July 1985) was a German writer. Considered one of Germany's foremost post-World War II writers, Böll is a recipient of the Georg Büchner Prize (1967) and the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972). ...

, Günter Grass and many others against the deployment of

Pershing II The Pershing II Weapon System was a solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the Pershing 1a Field Artillery Missile System as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable thea ...

missiles in Germany. She became a sharp critic of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

without ever leaving it and was an accredited journalist at the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

. She also criticized, in open letters, the prosecution of

Andreas Baader Berndt Andreas Baader (6 May 1943 – 18 October 1977) was one of the first leaders of the West German left-wing militant organization Red Army Faction (RAF), also commonly known as ''the Baader-Meinhof Group''. Life Andreas Baader was born i ...

Gudrun Ensslin Gudrun Ensslin (; 15 August 1940 – 18 October 1977) was a German far-left terrorist and founder of the West German far-left militant group Red Army Faction (, or RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang). After becoming involved with co-foun ...

and others, and wrote to Ensslin's father: "Gudrun has a friend in me for life.". In 1984, she was proposed by the Greens as a candidate for the office of

President of Germany The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...

Travel

In 1972, she travelled to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, the United States, Spain, India,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

, and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. She saw the Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini as "a shining model for the states of the

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

." – Japan, Colombia and many other countries. She stood up vociferously for the abolition of the Abortion paragraph § 218 in its current form. She also served as a leading voice for the Catholic left in Germany. Between 1980 and 1992, she traveled to North Korea 11 times, where she met with North Korean leader Kim Il Sung 45 times. She wrote about her travels in her book ', in which she approvingly described North Korea as a "farm-loving country owned by a farmer father" and a model example of "

socialism with a human face Socialism with a human face ( cs, socialismus s lidskou tváří, sk, socializmus s ľudskou tvárou) is a slogan referring to the reformist and democratic socialist programme of Alexander Dubček and his colleagues, agreed at the Presidium of ...

" where crime, poverty, and prison camps are unknown and praised the minimal environmental impact of its rationed economy. On her 1981 trip, she was accompanied by Rudolf Bahro, who also found much to admire in North Korea, saying that "It is a lot of crap to put Hitler, Stalin, and Kim Il Sung in the same bag. I believe that imis, in fact, a great man".

Posthumous revelations

Rinser died in 2002. Contrary to what she had said and written about herself and what others had written about her previously, the biography ''Luise Rinser – Ein Leben in Widersprüchen '' (Luise Rinser – A Life of Contradictions), published in 2011 by the Spanish author Sánchez de Murillo exposed her as an 'early' ambitious

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

. As a schoolteacher, she had herself denounced her Jewish headmaster to further her own career. Murillo says, "She lied to all of us." Her son, Christoph Rinser, collaborated with Murillo in researching this 'authorised' biography.

Awards and honors

*1952 René Schickele-Preis-Ehrung *1975 Christophorus-Buchpreis der Christophorus-Stiftung des HUK-Verbandes *1977 Großes Verdienstkreuz des

Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

*1979 Roswitha-Gedenkmedaille ( Roswitha-Preis) der Stadt

Bad Gandersheim Bad Gandersheim (Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Ganderssen'') is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Northeim (district), Northeim. , it had a population of 9,492. Bad Gandersheim has many half-timbered hou ...

*1979 Premio letterario internazionale mediterraneo, Palermo, Italien *1980 Premio Europa, Fiuggi, Italien *1985 "Accademico ordinario" der Accademia tiberina, Rome, Italy *1985

Johannes Bobrowski Johannes Bobrowski (originally ''Johannes Konrad Bernhard Bobrowski''; 9 April 1917 – 2 September 1965) was a German lyric poet, narrative writer, adaptor and essayist. Life Bobrowski was born on 9 April 1917Bobrowski, Johannes (1984). ''S ...

-Medaille der CDU der

DDR DDR or ddr may refer to: *ddr, ISO 639-3 code for the Dhudhuroa language *DDr., title for a double doctorate in Germany *DDR, station code for Dadar railway station, Mumbai, India *' (German Democratic Republic), official name of the former East ...

*1986 Ehrendoktorwürde der Universität Pjöngjang (

) *1987 Heinrich Heine Prize des Ministeriums für Kultur der DDR *1987 Heinrich Mann Prize of the Akademie der Künste der DDR *1987 "Donna in Arte", Provinz Rom, Italy *1987 "Autore dell'anno 1987", Città di Palestrina (Latium), Italy *1988 Elisabeth-Langgässer-Literaturpreis der Stadt Alzey *1988 Premio Giustina Rocca, Trani, Italy *1991 Internationaler Literaturpreis

Ignazio Silone Secondino Tranquilli (1 May 1900 – 22 August 1978), known by the pseudonym Ignazio Silone (, ), was an Italian political leader, novelist, and short-story writer, world-famous during World War II for his powerful anti-fascist novels. He was no ...

*1991 Kunst-und Kultur-Preis der Stadt

Novels

*''Hochebene'', Kassel: Harriet Schleber 1948 *''Die Stärkeren'', Kassel 1948 *''Mitte des Lebens'', Frankfurt: S. Fischer 1950; Engl. ''Nina'', 1956 *''Daniela'', Frankfurt 1953 *''Der Sündenbock'', Frankfurt 1955 *''Abenteuer der Tugend'', Frankfurt 1957 *''Die vollkommene Freude'', Frankfurt 1962 *''Ich bin Tobias'', Frankfurt 1966 *''Der schwarze Esel'', Frankfurt 1974 *''Mirjam'', Frankfurt 1983 *''Silberschuld'', Frankfurt 1987 *''Abaelards Liebe'', Frankfurt 1991; Engl. ''Abelard's Love'', 1998 *''Aeterna'' (mit H. C. Meiser), Frankfurt 2000

Short stories

*''Die gläsernen Ringe'', Berlin: Fischer, 1940; Engl. ''Rings of Glass'', 1958 *''Erste Liebe'', München: Desch 1946 *''Jan Lobel aus Warschau'', Kassel 1948 *''Ein Bündel weißer Narzissen'', Frankfurt: S. Fischer 1956 *''Geh fort, wenn du kannst'' (Nachwort: Hans Bender), Frankfurt 1959; Engl. ''Leave If You Can'', 2010 *''Weihnachts-Triptychon'' (Mit Scherenschnitten von Otto Diethelm), Zürich: Arche, 1963 *''Septembertag'', Frankfurt 1964 *''Die rote Katze'', Fünf Erzählungen, Frankfurt: Fischer Bibliothek 1981 *''Geschichten aus der Löwengrube'', Acht Erzählungen, Frankfurt 1986

Autobiographical writings

*''Gefängnistagebuch'', München: Zinnen (Kurt Desch) 1946; Engl. ''A Woman's Prison Journal'', 1988 *''Baustelle. Eine Art Tagebuch 1967–1970'', Frankfurt: S. Fischer 1970 *''Grenzübergänge. Tagebuch-Notizen 1970–1972'', Frankfurt 1972 *''Kriegsspielzeug. Tagebuch 1972–1978'', Frankfurt 1978 *'' Nordkoreanisches Reisetagebuch'', Frankfurt 1981 *''Den Wolf umarmen'' (Autobiographie, Teil 1), Frankfurt 1981 *''Winterfrühling. Tagebuchaufzeichnungen 1979–1982'', Frankfurt 1982 *''Im Dunkeln singen. Tagebuchaufzeichnungen 1982–1985'', Frankfurt 1985 *''Wachsender Mond. Tagebuchaufzeichnungen 1985–1988'', Frankfurt 1988 *''Ort meiner Kindheit: Wessobrunn'', Freiburg 1991 *''Wir Heimatlosen. Tagebuchaufzeichnungen 1989–1992'', Frankfurt 1992 *''Saturn auf der Sonne'' (Autobiographie, Teil 2), Frankfurt 1994 *''Kunst des Schattenspiels. Tagebuchaufzeichnungen 1994–1997'', Frankfurt 1997

Writing for children and teens

*''Das Ohlstadter Kinder-Weihnachtsspiel'', München 1946 *''Martins Reise'', Zürich: Atlantis 1949 *''Sie zogen mit dem Stern. Eine Bubenweihnacht'', München: Don Bosco 1950 *''Jugend unserer Zeit. Fotografien gedeutet von Luise Rinser'', Würzburg: Echter-Verlag 1967 *'' Bruder Feuer'', Stuttgart: Thienemann 1975 *''Das Geheimnis des Brunnens'', Stuttgart 1979 *''Kursbuch für Mädchen'', Frauenfeld 1979 *''Mit wem reden'', Stuttgart 1980 *''Drei Kinder und ein Stern'' (ill. v. Hella Seith), (Neuausgabe) Stuttgart: Gabriel 1994 *''Das Squirrel. Eine Geschichte von sichtbaren und unsichtbaren Wesen'' (mit Blumenbildern von Sulamith Wülfing), (Neuausgabe) Grafing: Aquamarin 2004

Special writings

*''Pestalozzi und wir. Der Mensch und das Werk'', Stuttgart: Günther 1947 *''Die Wahrheit über Konnersreuth. Ein Bericht'', Einsiedeln: Benziger 1954 *''Fülle der Zeit. Carl Zuckmayer und sein Werk'', Frankfurt 1956 *''Der Schwerpunkt'' (Essays zu Annette Kolb,

Franz Werfel Franz Viktor Werfel (; 10 September 1890 – 26 August 1945) was an Austrian- Bohemian novelist, playwright, and poet whose career spanned World War I, the Interwar period, and World War II. He is primarily known as the author of ''The For ...

Carl Zuckmayer Carl Zuckmayer (27 December 1896 – 18 January 1977) was a German writer and playwright. His older brother was the pedagogue, composer, conductor, and pianist Eduard Zuckmayer. Life and career Born in Nackenheim in Rhenish Hesse, he was ...

, Elisabeth Langgässer und

Bert Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

), Frankfurt 1960 *''Vom Sinn der Traurigkeit (Felix Tristitia)'', Zürich: Arche 1962 *''Ich weiß deinen Namen. 73 Fotographien gedeutet von Luise Rinser'', Würzburg: Echter 1962 *''Über die Hoffnung'', Zürich 1964 *''Gespräche über Lebensfragen'', Würzburg 1966 *''Hat Beten einen Sinn?'', Zürich 1966 *''Jugend unserer Zeit''. Fotografien gedeutet von Luise Rinser, Würzburg 1967 *''Gespräch von Mensch zu Mensch'', Würzburg 1967 *''Zölibat und Frau'', Würzburg 1967 *''Laie, nicht ferngesteuert'', Zürich 1967 *''Fragen, Antworten'', Würzburg 1968 *''Von der Unmöglichkeit und der Möglichkeit heute Priester zu sein'', Zürich: NZN 1968 *''Unterentwickeltes Land Frau. Untersuchungen, Kritik, Arbeitshypothesen'', Würzburg 1970 *''Hochzeit der Widersprüche'', Percha: Schulz 1973 *''Dem Tode geweiht? Lepra ist heilbar!'' (Mit 24 Bildtafeln; Fotos von Christoph Rinser), Percha 1974 *''Wie wenn wir ärmer würden oder Die Heimkehr des verlorenen Sohnes'', Percha 1974 *''Hallo, Partner. Zeige mir, wie du dein Auto lenkst, und ich sage dir, wie (wer) du bist!'', HUK-Verband 1974 *''Leiden, Sterben, Auferstehen'', Würzburg 1975 *''Wenn die Wale kämpfen. Porträt eines Landes: Süd-Korea'', Percha 1976 *''Der verwundete Drache. Dialog über Leben und Werk des Komponisten Isang Yun'', Frankfurt 1977 *''Terroristen-Sympathisanten? Im Welt-Bild der Rechten. Eine Dokumentation'', 1977 *''Khomeini und der Islamische Gottesstaat. Eine große Idee. Ein großer Irrtum?'', Percha 1979 *''Kinder unseres Volkes'' (Buch zum Film). Deutschland, 1983. Regie: Stefan Rinser *''Wer wirft den Stein? Zigeuner sein in Deutschland. Eine Anklage'', Stuttgart 1985 *''Die Aufgabe der Musik in der Gesellschaft von heute'', Frankfurt 1986 *''In atomarer Bedrohung''. Mit Grafiken von Frans Masereel, Karlsruhe: Loeper 1987 *''Gratwanderung. Briefe der Freundschaft an Karl Rahner'', München: Kösel 1994 *''Mitgefühl als Weg zum Frieden. Meine Gespräche mit dem Dalai Lama'', München 1995 *''Leben im Augenblick. Kurze Texte zur Sinnfrage'', hrsg. von Ute Zydek, München 1996 *''Reinheit und Ekstase. Auf der Suche nach der vollkommenen Liebe'' (mit H. C. Meiser), München: List 1998 *''Bruder Hund. Eine Legende'', München: Kösel 19

References

Literature

* Gudrun Gill: ''Die Utopie Hoffnung bei Luise Rinser. Eine sozio-psychologische Studie.'' New York u.a.: Lang 1991. (= American university studies; Ser. 1; Germanic languages and literatures; 92), * Stephanie Grollman: ''Das Bild des "Anderen" in den Tagebüchern und Reiseberichten Luise Rinsers.'' Würzburg: Königshausen u. Neumann 2000. (= Epistemata; Reihe Literaturwissenschaft; 322), * Thomas Lother: ''Die Schuldproblematik in Luise Rinsers literarischem Werk.'' Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Lang 1991. (= Würzburger Hochschulschriften zur neueren deutschen Literaturgeschichte;13), * Selma Polat: ''Luise Rinsers Weg zur mystischen Religiosität. Glaube erwachsen aus Erfahrung. Mit einem Interview.'' Münster: Lit 2001. (= Literatur - Medien - Religion; 2), * Luise Rinser, ''Materialien zu Leben und Werk'', hrsg. v. Hans-Rüdiger Schwab. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer. 1986. (= Fischer-TB 5973), * * *

Michael Kleeberg Michael Kleeberg (born 24 August 1959 in Stuttgart), is a German writer and translator. He studied political science and modern history at the University of Hamburg and visual communication at the Kunsthochschule Hamburg. He lived in Rome, Ber ...

: "Glaubensüberhitzung. Sie hat den Zweifel produktiv gemacht: Luise Rinser zum neunzigsten Geburtstag". In: ''Frankfurter Rundschau'', 28.4.2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rinser, Luise 1911 births 2002 deaths People from Landsberg am Lech People from the Kingdom of Bavaria German women writers German women critics German literary critics Women literary critics German essayists German socialists Heinrich Mann Prize winners Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German women essayists 20th-century essayists