Brigitte Hamann (; 26 July 1940 – 4 October 2016) was a German-Austrian author and historian based in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Biography

Born in

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, Hamann studied history in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state d ...

and Vienna. She worked as a journalist in her native Essen for some time. In 1965, she married historian Günther Hamann (1924–1994), moved to Vienna and obtained Austrian citizenship in addition to her German. The couple had three children; one of them is journalist and feminist Sibylle Hamann. Brigitte Hamann worked with her husband at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich h ...

and in 1978 obtained a doctor's degree on the basis of a thesis on the life of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. The thesis was published as a book the same year. She described her working method as follows: "(Coming from Germany) I had a different view of Austria, and I began to write with a certain detachment". The success of her first book led to further books, notably on

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898. Elisabeth wa ...

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 ...

, and Winifred Wagner. Hamann's 1996 book
Hitler's Vienna: A Dictator's Apprenticeship
' examined how societal attitudes at the time shaped Hitler's

anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

views during his time in Vienna between 1908 and 1913, and the effects of his inordinate fear of both infection and women. Following the publication of ''

The Hidden Hitler ''The Hidden Hitler'' (german: Hitlers Geheimnis. Das Doppelleben eines Diktators; the title translates literally as "Hitler's Secret: The Double Life of a Dictator") is a 2001 book by German professor and historian Lothar Machtan. The German ori ...

'' by historian and

University of Bremen The University of Bremen (German: ''Universität Bremen'') is a public university in Bremen, Germany, with approximately 23,500 people from 115 countries. It is one of 11 institutions which were successful in the category "Institutional Strategi ...

professor Lothar Machtan, Hamann investigated claims about Hitler's homosexuality and appears in the 2004 HBO documentary film, '' Hidden Fuhrer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler's Sexuality'', by American documentarians Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. In 2005, Hamann released ''Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler's Bayreuth'', a biography of Winifred Wagner, the British-born woman who became a founding member of 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 ...

and a close friend of Hitler. The publication earned her "Book of the Year" honors by ''

Opernwelt ''Opernwelt'' (''Opera World'') is a monthly German magazine for opera, operetta and ballet. It includes news about current performances, portraits of composers and performers, articles about opera house An opera house is a theater (structure) ...

'' (Operaworld) magazine and "Historical Book of the Year" honors from ''

Damals ''Damals'' is a German monthly popular scientific history magazine. The magazine has been issued since 1969 and aims primarily at students, teachers, university students, scientists and a readership interested in historical science. The German ...

'' history magazine. That same year she received the "" in recognition of her work. Hamann died on 4 October 2016 at the age of 76.

Honors

* (1978) * (1982) * (1986) *

Anton Wildgans Prize The Anton Wildgans Prize of Austrian Industry is a literary award that was endowed in 1962 by the Federation of Austrian Industry. The prize is worth 15,000 Euro and is granted by an independent jury to a young or middle-aged writer of Austrian c ...

(1994) * (1997) * (1998) * in Silber (2006) * Honorary prize of the Austrian Booksellers for tolerance in thought and deed (2012)

Books translated into English

*''The Reluctant Empress: A Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria'' (

Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers i ...

: 1986) () *''The Reluctant Empress'',

Ullstein Verlag The ''Ullstein Verlag'' was founded by Leopold Ullstein in 1877 at Berlin and is one of the largest publishing companies of Germany. It published newspapers like '' B.Z.'' and ''Berliner Morgenpost'' and books through its subsidiaries ''Ullstein ...

, Berlin 1982, 6th ed. 2000 *''Bertha von Suttner: A Life for Peace'' (Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution) (

Syracuse University Press Syracuse University Press, founded in 1943, is a university press that is part of Syracuse University. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. History SUP was formed in August 1943 when president William P. Tolley pro ...

: 1986) *''Rudolf. The Road to Mayerling'' (German and English, picture book) München 1988 *''Sissi, Elisabeth, Empress of Austria'' (Taschen America: 1997) () *''Hitler's Vienna: A Dictator's Apprenticeship''. (1999:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

) *''Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler's Bayreuth''. (2005: Granta publications, England) *''Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler's Bayreuth'', Harcourt Books, Orlando USA 2006 An English translation of the rororo monograph ''Die Familie Wagner'' is to appear.

Books in German

* ''Rudolf, Kronprinz und Rebell'', Wien 1978 * ''

Elisabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

, Kaiserin wider Willen'', Wien 1981 * ''Mit Kaiser Max in Mexiko'', Wien 1983 * ''Kaiserin Elisabeth. Das poetische Tagebuch'', Verlag der Österr. Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 1984 * ''

Bertha von Suttner Bertha Sophie Felicitas Freifrau von Suttner (; ; 9 June 184321 June 1914) was an Austrian-Bohemian pacifist and novelist. In 1905, she became the second female Nobel laureate (after Marie Curie in 1903), the first woman to be awarded the Nobel ...

. Ein Leben für den Frieden'', München 1986 * ''Die Habsburger. Ein biographisches Lexikon'', München 1988 * ''Nichts als Musik im Kopf. Das Leben von

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

'', Wien 1990 (Kinderbuch) * ''Elisabeth. Bilder einer Kaiserin'', Wien 1995 * ''Meine liebe, gute Freundin! Die Briefe Kaiser Franz Josephs an Katharina Schratt, München 1992 * '' Hitlers Wien. Lehrjahre eines Diktators'', München 1996 * ''Kronprinz Rudolf: 'Majestät, ich warne Sie..., München 2002 * '' Winifred Wagner oder Hitlers Bayreuth'', München 2002 * ''Der erste Weltkrieg. Wahrheit und Lüge in Bildern und Texten'', München 2004 * ''Ein Herz und viele Kronen. Das Leben der Kaiserin

Maria Theresia Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

''. Illustriert von , Wien 2004 (Kinderbuch) * ''Die Familie

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

'', Reinbek bei Hamburg 2005 * ''Kronprinz Rudolf. Ein Leben'', Wien 2005 * ''Mozart. Sein Leben und seine Zeit'', Wien 2006 * ''Hitlers Edeljude. Das Leben des Armenarztes Eduard Bloch'', München 2008 Numerous editions, paperbacks, and translations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamann, Brigitte 1940 births 2016 deaths Anton Wildgans Prize winners 20th-century Austrian historians

Austrian journalists Austrian mass media people, Journalists Austrian non-fiction writers, Journalists Journalists by nationality Austrian newspaper people, Journalists Journalism in Austria {{CatAutoTOC ...

German emigrants to Austria German women journalists 20th-century German journalists Writers from Essen University of Münster alumni University of Vienna alumni Academics of the University of Vienna 20th-century German women writers 21st-century German women writers