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Eberhard Panitz (16 April 1932 – 1 October 2021) was a German writer,
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
,
literary editor A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews.
and
publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists w ...
. He wrote epic works, documentaries, audio plays and scripts for films and television. He was committed to
socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
, and received several awards in the
German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
(GDR). After
German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
, he continued to write for leftist publishers.


Life

Panitz was born in
Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
, the son of a tram conductor and a saleswoman. He grew up in Dresden-Trachau. He attended the , completing with the
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 yea ...
in 1950. After working in a youth brigade building the
Cranzahl Dam {{Infobox dam , name = Cranzahl Dam , name_official = , image = HPIM7792.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Cranzahl Dam, December 2006 , image_alt = , location_map = , locati ...
, he studied pedagogy and German studies at the
University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
until 1953. He worked as a
literary editor A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews.
for both the and the in
Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hall ...
. He joined the
Deutscher Schriftstellerverband Deutscher Schriftstellerverband (DSV, "German Writers' Union") was an East German association of writers. It was founded in 1950 and renamed in 1973 as Schriftstellerverband der DDR. The association considered itself an heir to the earlier trad ...
in 1958, remaining a member until it was dissolved in 1990. He belonged to its executive board, and was vice president of its Berlin section. Working as a freelance writer from 1959, Panitz wrote epic works, documentaries, audio plays and scripts for films and television, committed to
socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
. His topics included building a socialist society, espionage, the bombing of Dresden and the emancipation of women. Novels such as ''Meines Vaters Straßenbahn'' (My father's tram) have autographic elements, set in Dresden. He created strong determined women characters. His novel ''Die unheilige Sophia'' (The unholy Sophia) is based on Sonja, a controversial mayor of Kolberg after World War II. The book was filmed, directed by
Manfred Wekwerth Manfred Wekwerth (né Weckwerth; 3 December 1929 – 16 July 2014) was a German theatre and film director and writer. He was the director of the Berliner Ensemble theatre from 1977 to 1991. He was also an informant for East Germany's Stasi from ...
, at original locations. Panitz was editor for two volumes of notable German stories (''Erzählungen''). Panitz travelled frequently in socialist countries such as Vietnam, Cuba and Mongolia, resulting in books such as ''Gesichter Vietnams'' (Faces of Vietnam, 1978) and ''Cuba mi Amor'' (2004). He also travelled in the U.S. for several months. Panitz was a member of the Marxist forum of the
Die Linke The Left (german: Die Linke; stylised as and in its logo as ), commonly referred to as the Left Party (german: Die Linkspartei, links=no ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of th ...
party. After
German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
, his writings were released through small publishing houses dedicated to leftist topics. His 1982 novel ''Eiszeit'', a warning of
atomic weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bo ...
, was reprinted in 2016. He lived in Berlin-Grünau as a freelance writer. For decades, he also had a summer retreat which he preferred for working, first in Kolberg, and from 1974 a house in ,
Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...
, which had belonged to
Christa Wolf Christa Wolf (; née Ihlenfeld; 18 March 1929 – 1 December 2011) was a German novelist and essayist.
Barbara Gard ...
before. Panitz died in Berlin at age 89.


Awards

* 1956 Jugendbuchpreis of the GDR * 1967
Erich Weinert Erich Bernhard Gustav Weinert (4 August 1890 in Magdeburg – 20 April 1953 in East Berlin) was a German Communist writer and a member of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). Early life Weinert was born in 1890 in Magdeburg to a family supp ...
Medal * 1971
Heinrich Greif Prize The Heinrich Greif Prize (German: ''Heinrich-Greif-Preis'') was an East German state award bestowed on individuals for contribution to the state's cinema and television industry. History The prize was awarded by the East German Ministry of Cultur ...
* 1973 Literature Prize of the
Democratic Women's League of Germany The Democratic Women's League of Germany (german: italic=no, Demokratischer Frauenbund Deutschlands, or ''DFD'') was the mass women's organisation in East Germany. It was established in March 1947 and had the following official aims: *Removal ...
* 1975
Heinrich Mann Prize The Heinrich Mann Prize () is an essay prize that has been awarded since 1953, first by the East German Academy of Arts, then by the Academy of Arts, Berlin. The prize, which comes with a €10,000 purse, is given annually on 27 March, Heinrich ...
* 1976 Heinrich Greif Prize * 1977
Nationalpreis der DDR The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (german: Nationalpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik) was an award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, ...
* 1982 of East Berlin * 1984 of the
Free German Trade Union Federation The Free German Trade Union Federation (german: Freier Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund or ''FDGB'') was the sole national trade union centre of the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) which existed from 1946 and 1990. As a mass organisa ...
* 1985
Vaterländischer Verdienstorden The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstandin ...
of the
GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...


Work


Books

* ''Käte.'' Berlin 1955. * ''In drei Teufels Namen.'' Berlin 1958. * ''Flucht.'' Berlin 1956. * ''Die Feuer sinken''. Berlin 1960, Schkeuditz 2000 * ''Das Mädchen Simra.'' Halle 1961. * ''Das Gesicht einer Mutter.'' Halle 1962. * ''Cristobal und die Insel'' Berlin 1963. * ''Der siebente Sommer.''
Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hall ...
1967 * ''Unter den Bäumen regnet es zweimal''. Halle 1969 * ''Die sieben Affären der Doña Juanita''. Halle 1972 * ''Der Weg zum Rio Grande.'' Berlin 1973. * ''Die unheilige Sophia.'' Halle 1974, 2007 . * ''Absage an Viktoria.'' Halle (Saale) 1975. * ''Gesichter Vietnams.'' Berlin 1978 (Photos: Thomas Billhardt) * ''Meines Vaters Straßenbahn''. Halle 1979, Dresden 1996 * ''Die verlorene Tochter.'' Halle (Saale) 1979. * ''Mein lieber Onkel Hans''. Halle 1982 * ''Eiszeit''. Halle (Saale) 1983 * ''Leben für Leben''. Halle 1987 * ''Das Lächeln des Herrn O.'' Berlin 1994. * ''Comandante Che'', Berlin 1997. * ''Cuba, mi amor.'' Berlin 2004. * ''Der geheime Rotbannerorden.'' Böklund 2006, . * ''Dresdner Novelle 1989.'' verlag am park in der edition ost, Berlin 2009, . * ''Geheimtreff Banbury – Wie die Atombombe zu den Russen kam.'' 2nd edition. ''Das Neue Berlin'', Berlin 2009, . * ''Tagebuch der totgesagten Dichter.'' verlag am park in der edition ost, Berlin 2013, * ''Das Trümmerhaus der Träume.'' verlag am park in der edition ost, Berlin 2015, * ''Frau im Dämmerlicht.'' verlag am park in der edition ost, Berlin 2016, . * ''Eiszeit. Eine unwirkliche Geschichte'', revised 2016, Verlag Wiljo Heinen, Berlin/Böklund 2016, .


Filmography

Panitz worked for films, sometimes writing the literary base, sometimes also the script.Eberhard Panitz
(in German) Filmportal 2021, retrieved 5 October 2021
Films included: * 1967: ', literary base * 1970: '' Netzwerk'', scenario with director
Ralf Kirsten Ralf Kirsten (30 May 1930 – 23 January 1998) was a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 22 films between 1955 and 1986. His 1984 film ''Where Others Keep Silent'' was entered into the 14th Moscow International Film Festival. ...
* 1972: ''
Der Dritte ''Her Third'' () is a 1972 East German (then GDR) film directed by Egon Günther and starring Jutta Hoffmann, Barbara Dittus, Rolf Ludwig and Armin Mueller-Stahl. The film is based on the short story ''Unter den Bäumen regnet es zweimal'' by ...
'' (''Her Third''), literary basis, director:
Egon Günther Egon Günther (30 March 1927 – 31 August 2017)
in: * 1972/73: ' (television film in four episodes based on his novel) * 1974/75: ''Die unheilige Sophia'', literary base, script with
Manfred Wekwerth Manfred Wekwerth (né Weckwerth; 3 December 1929 – 16 July 2014) was a German theatre and film director and writer. He was the director of the Berliner Ensemble theatre from 1977 to 1991. He was also an informant for East Germany's Stasi from ...
, director: Wekwerth * 1976: ''Absage an Viktoria'', literary base, script, director: * 1980: ''Meines Vaters Straßenbahn'', literary base, script, director: Celino Bleiweiß * 1983 to 1985: ''Mein lieber Onkel Hans'', literary base, director:


References


Further reading

* : ''Eberhard Panitz''. In:
Erik Simon Erik Simon (born 21 August 1987 in Karl-Marx-Stadt) is a German ski jumper. He came in on 30th place in Kuopio 2009 as his best result in the World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually ...
, (eds.): ''Die Science-fiction der DDR. Autoren und Werke. Ein Lexikon.'' Verlag Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 1988, , pp. 212ff


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Panitz, Eberhard 1932 births 2021 deaths East German writers Writers from Dresden Socialist realism writers German male novelists German non-fiction writers German radio writers 20th-century German screenwriters German male screenwriters German editors Literary editors Writers from Berlin Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit