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. His first two dramas were failures. In 1929, he wrote the script for the movie '' Der blaue Engel,'' for which he received the Georg Büchner Prize. He also wrote plays, including '' The Captain of Köpenick'' (1931), ''

Des Teufels General ''The Devil's General'' () is a 1955 black and white West German film based on the Des Teufels General (play), play of the same title by Carl Zuckmayer. The film features Curd Jürgens as General Harras, Marianne Koch, Viktor de Kowa, Karl John ( ...

'' (1946), ''Barbara Blomberg. Ein Stück in drei Akten'' (1949), and''Kranichtanz. Ein Akt'' (1967). Zuckmayer was a recipient of numerous awards and prizes, including the Kleist Prize, Medal of the city of

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

, the Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature, and the Ring of

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

Life and career

Born in Nackenheim in Rhenish Hesse, he was the second son of Amalie (1869–1954), née Goldschmidt, and Carl Zuckmayer de (1864–1947). When he was four years old, his family moved to

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

. With the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he (like many other high school students) finished Rabanus-Maurus-Gymnasium with a facilitated "emergency" ''

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

'' and volunteered for military service. During the war, he served with the German Army's field artillery on the Western Front. In 1917, he published his first poems in the

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

journal '' Die Aktion'' and he was one of the signatures of the "Appeal" published by the Antinational Socialist Party after the

German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

of 9 November 1918. By this time, Zuckmayer held the rank of a ''Leutnant der Reserve'' (Reserve Officer). After the war, he took up studies at the University of Frankfurt, first in

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

, later in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

and

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

. In 1920, he married his childhood friend Annemarie Ganz, but they were divorced just one year later, when Zuckmayer had an affair with actress Annemarie Seidel. Zuckmayer's initial ventures into literature and theatre were complete failures. His first drama, ''Kreuzweg'' (1921), fell flat and was delisted after only three performances, and when he was chosen as dramatic adviser at the theatre of

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

, he lost his new job after his first, controversial staging of

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a playwright during the Roman Republic. He was the author of six Roman comedy, comedies based on Greek comedy, Greek originals by Menander or Apollodorus of Carystus. A ...

's '' The Eunuch''. In 1924, he became a

dramaturge A dramaturge or dramaturg (from Ancient Greek δραματουργός – dramatourgós) is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and pr ...

at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, jointly with

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

. After another failure with his second drama, ''Pankraz erwacht oder Die Hinterwäldler'', he finally had a public success with the rustic comedy ''Der fröhliche Weinberg'' (''The Merry Vineyard'') in 1925, written in his local Mainz-Frankfurt dialect. This work won him the prestigious Kleist Prize two years after it was awarded to Brecht, and launched his career. Also in 1925, Zuckmayer married the Austrian actress , and they bought a house in Henndorf, near

, in Austria. Zuckmayer's next play, ''Der Schinderhannes'', was again successful. In 1929, he wrote the script for the movie '' Der blaue Engel'' (starring

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

), based on the novel ''Professor Unrat'' by Heinrich Mann. That year, he was also awarded the Georg Büchner Prize, another prestigious German-language literary award. In 1931, his play '' Der Hauptmann von Köpenick'' premiered and became another success, but his plays were prohibited when the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

came to power in Germany in 1933 (Zuckmayer's maternal grandfather had been born Jewish and converted to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

). Zuckmayer and his family moved to their house in Austria, where he published a few more works. After the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

'', he was expatriated by the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

government, and the Zuckmayers fled via

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to the United States in 1939, where he first worked as a script writer in Hollywood before renting Backwoods Farm near Barnard, Vermont in 1941 and working there as a farmer until 1946. In 1943–44, Zuckmayer wrote "character portraits" of actors, writers, and other artists in Germany for the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

, evaluating their involvement with the Nazi regime. This became known only in 2002, when the approximately 150 reports were published in Germany under the title ''Geheimreport''. The family's Vermont years are narrated in Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer's ''Die Farm in den grünen Bergen'' ("The Farm in the Green Mountains"), a bestseller in Germany upon its 1949 publication. In January 1946, after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Zuckmayer was granted the US citizenship he had applied for already in 1943. He returned to Germany and traveled the country for five months as a US cultural attaché. The resulting report to the War Department was first published in Germany in 2004 (''Deutschlandbericht''). His play ''

'' ("The Devil's General"; the main character is based on the biography of Ernst Udet), which he had written in Vermont, premiered in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

on 14 December 1946. The play became a major success in post-war Germany; one of the first post-war literary attempts to broach the issue of

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

. It was filmed in 1955 and starred Curd Jürgens. Zuckmayer kept writing: ''Barbara Blomberg'' premiered in

Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...

in 1949 and ''Das kalte Licht'' in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

in 1955. He also wrote the screenplay for '' Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach'', the German-language version of

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( ; ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian Americans, Austrian-American film and theatre director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the the ...

's 1953 film '' The Moon is Blue''. Having shuttled back and forth between the U.S. and Europe for several years, the Zuckmayers left the U.S. in 1958 and settled in Saas Fee in the

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

in Switzerland. In 1966, he became a Swiss citizen, and published his memoirs, titled ''Als wär's ein Stück von mir'' ("A part of myself"). His last play, '' Der Rattenfänger'', (music by Friedrich Cerha) premiered in

in 1975. Zuckmayer died on 18 January 1977 in

Visp Visp (; ; ) is the capital of the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Geography Visp lies in the Rhône valley, at the confluence of the Vispa and the Rhône, west of Brig-Glis. Visp has an area, , of . Of this a ...

. His body was interred on 22 January in Saas Fee. Zuckmayer received numerous awards during his life, such as the

Goethe Prize The Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt () is an award for achievement "worthy of honour in memory of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe" made by the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was usually an annual award until 1955, and thereafter has been ...

of the city of

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

in 1952, the '' Bundesverdienstkreuz mit Stern'' in 1955, the Austrian ''Staatspreis für Literatur'' in 1960, ''

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

'' in 1967, and the Austrian ''Verdienstkreuz am Band'' in 1968.

Translations

* ''The Moons Ride Over'' (New York, The Viking Press, 1937, Original title ''Salwàre oder Die Magdalena von Bozen'') * ''Second Wind'' (London: George Harrap & Co., 1941) with an introduction by

Dorothy Thompson Dorothy Celene Thompson (July 9, 1893 – January 30, 1961) was an American journalist and radio broadcaster. She was the first American journalist to be expelled from Nazi Germany, in 1934, and was one of the few women news commentators broadc ...

. His first autobiographical volume, the book covered his youth, his experiences in

, and his flight from Austria to America after the Anschluss. * ''A Part of Myself, Portrait of an Epoch'' (New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1970, translated by Winston, Richard and Clara), originally ''Als wär's ein Stück von mir. Horen der Freundschaft'', is an expanded memoir including his experiences in Vermont. * ''

'' appeared in Block, Haskell M. and Shedd, Robert G. ''Masters of Modern Drama'' (New York, Random House, 1963) translated by Ingrid G. and William F. Gilbert, and is part of The German Library. * '' The Captain of Köpenick'' appears in ''German Drama'' * ''A Late Friendship: The Letters of Karl Barth and Carl Zuckmayer'' (Grand Rapids, Michigan, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982, translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley) * '' Die Fastnachtsbeichte'' (''Carnival Confession'') published in English first, by John Geoffrey Gryles Mander and Necke Mander, in 1961 in London.

Honours and awards

* 1925: Kleist Prize * 1929: Georg Büchner Prize * 1952:

of the city of

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

* 1952: Honorary Citizenship of his birthplace, Nackenheim * 1953: Medal of the city of

* 1955: Knight Commander's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

(''Großes Verdienstkreuz mit Stern'') * 1955: * 1957: Honorary doctorate from the

University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...

* 1960: Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature * 1961: Honorary Citizenship of Saas Fee * 1962: Honorary Citizenship of

* 1967: Freeman of the

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

* 1967: Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts * 1968:

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria, Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science a ...

* 1971: * 1972:

Heinrich Heine Prize Heinrich Heine Prize refers to three different awards named in honour of the 19th-century German poet Heinrich Heine, Christian Johann Heinrich Heine: * ''Heinrich Heine prize of Düsseldorf'' * ''Heinrich Heine prize of the Ministry for Culture'' ...

of the city of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

* 1975: Ring of

Selected plays

* ''Der fröhliche Weinberg'' (1925) * '' Schinderhannes'' (1927) * '' Katharina Knie'' (1928) * '' The Captain of Köpenick'' (1931) * ''

'' (1946) * ''Barbara Blomberg. Ein Stück in drei Akten'' (1949) * ''Der Gesang im Feuerofen. Drama in drei Akten'' (1950) * ''Das kalte Licht. Drama in drei Akten'' (1955) * ''Die Uhr schlägt eins. Ein historisches Drama aus der Gegenwart'' (1961) * ''Kranichtanz. Ein Akt'' (1967) * ''Das Leben des Horace A. W. Tabor. Ein Stück aus den Tagen der letzten Könige'' (Life of Horace Tabor, written 1962–1964) * ''Der Rattenfänger. Eine Fabel'' (1975); later set as the opera '' Der Rattenfänger'' by Friedrich Cerha (1987)

Filmography

* '' The Merry Vineyard'', directed by

Jacob Fleck Jacob Fleck (8 November 1881 in Vienna as Jacob Julius Fleck – 19 September 1953, also in Vienna) was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, film producer and cameraman. He is noted for his long-standing professional partnership with his wife ...

and Luise Fleck (1927, based on the play ''Der fröhliche Weinberg'') * '' The Prince of Rogues'', directed by Curtis Bernhardt (1928, based on the play ''Schinderhannes'') * '' Katharina Knie'', directed by

Karl Grune Karl Grune (22 January 1890 – 2 October 1962) was an Austrian film director and writer who made many silent films in the 1920s. Grune was born into a Jewish family Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in Germa ...

(1929, based on the play ''Katharina Knie'') * '' The Captain from Köpenick'', directed by

Richard Oswald Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald. Early life and career Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, ...

(1931, based on the play ''The Captain of Köpenick'') * ', directed by Max Haufler (1942, based on the play ''Katharina Knie'') * '' The Captain from Köpenick'', directed by

(1945, based on the play ''The Captain of Köpenick'') * '' After the Storm'', directed by

Gustav Ucicky Gustav Ucicky (6 July 1899 – 27 April 1961) was an Austrians, Austrian film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He was one of the more successful directors in Austria and Germany from the 1930s through to the early 1960s. His work cov ...

(1948, based on the stort story ''Nach dem Sturm'') * ', directed by

(1950, based on the stort story ''Der Seelenbräu'') * '' The Merry Vineyard'', directed by Erich Engel (1952, based on the play ''Der fröhliche Weinberg'') * '' A Love Story'', directed by Rudolf Jugert (1954, based on the stort story ''Eine Liebesgeschichte'') * '' Herr über Leben und Tod'', directed by

Victor Vicas Victor Vicas (25 March 1918 – 9 December 1985) was a French film director and screenwriter. His film ''The Wayward Bus (film), The Wayward Bus'' was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival. Between 1974 and 1983 he directed ...

(1955, based on the novel ''Herr über Leben und Tod'') * ''

'', directed by

Helmut Käutner Helmut Käutner (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the Weimar Republic and released his first films as a director in Nazi Germany. Käu ...

(1955, based on the play ''Des Teufels General'') * ''

The Girl from Flanders ''The Girl from Flanders'' () is a 1956 romantic drama film directed by Helmut Käutner starring Nicole Berger, Maximilian Schell, and Viktor de Kowa. It is an adaption of the novel '' Engele von Löwen'' (Angele de Louvain) written by Carl Zu ...

'', directed by

(1956, based on the play ''Engele von Loewen'') * '' The Captain from Köpenick'', directed by

(1956, based on the play ''The Captain of Köpenick'') * ''Frauensee'', directed by Rudolf Jugert (1958, based on the stort story ''Ein Sommer in Österreich'') * '' Der Schinderhannes'', directed by

(1958, based on the play ''Schinderhannes'') * '' Carnival Confession'', directed by

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood primarily a ...

(1960, based on the novel '' Die Fastnachtsbeichte'') * '' Der Hauptmann von Köpenick'', directed by

Frank Beyer Frank Paul Beyer (; 26 May 1932 – 1 October 2006) was a German film director. In East Germany he was one of the most important film directors, working for the state film monopoly DEFA (film studio), DEFA and directed films that dealt mostl ...

(TV film, 1997, based on the play ''The Captain of Köpenick'')

Screenwriter

* 1926: '' Torments of the Night'' (dir. Curtis Bernhardt) * 1930: ''

The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' () is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Liebmann, with uncredite ...

'' (dir.

Josef von Sternberg Josef von Sternberg (; born Jonas Sternberg; May 29, 1894 – December 22, 1969) was an American filmmaker whose career successfully spanned the transition from the Silent film, silent to the Sound film, sound era, during which he worked with mos ...

), based on '' Professor Unrat'' by Heinrich Mann * 1931: '' Salto Mortale'' (dir. E. A. Dupont), based on a novel by Alfred Machard * 1936: ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

'' (dir.

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

) * 1939: '' Boefje'' (dir.

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. However, he also directed comedies, westerns, and war f ...

), based on a children's book by * 1940: ''

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

'' (dir. Max Ophüls) * 1953: '' Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach'' (dir.

), based on a play by F. Hugh Herbert

References

External links

* *
Tabular biography
(in German).

in English.

(in German; has a bibliography and filmography). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zuckmayer, Carl 1896 births 1977 deaths People from Mainz-Bingen People from Rhenish Hesse Exilliteratur writers Writers from Rhineland-Palatinate German expatriates in Austria German Army personnel of World War I Kleist Prize winners Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Georg Büchner Prize winners Recipients of the Grand Austrian State Prize Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Goethe University Frankfurt alumni People from Windsor County, Vermont German male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century German dramatists and playwrights German people of Jewish descent 20th-century German male writers German male screenwriters 20th-century German screenwriters

Life and career

Translations

Honours and awards

Selected plays

Filmography

Screenwriter

See also

References

External links