Egon Erwin Kisch
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Egon Erwin Kisch (29 April 1885 – 31 March 1948) was an
Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
and Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. He styled himself ''Der Rasende Reporter'' (The Racing Reporter) for his countless travels to the far corners of the globe and his equally numerous articles produced in a relatively short time (''Hetzjagd durch die Zeit'', 1925), Kisch was noted for his development of literary
reportage Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
, his opposition to
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
's
Nazi regime Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
, and his
Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
.


Biography

Kisch was born into a wealthy German-speaking Sephardi Jewish family in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, at that time part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
, and began his journalistic career as a reporter for ''Bohemia'', a Prague
German-language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It is a ...
newspaper, in 1906. In 1910, ''Bohemia'' began publishing a weekly column of Kisch's essays. “Prague Forays” ran for more than a year and, along with several books containing reprinted and original material, made Kisch a local celebrity. These feuilletons, which consisted of what he called "little novels" about the city, were characterised by an interest in prisons, work houses, and the lives of the poor of Prague. His style was inspired by
Jan Neruda Jan Nepomuk Neruda (Czech: jan ˈnɛpomuk ˈnɛruda 10 July 1834 – 22 August 1891) was a Czech journalist, writer, poet and art critic; one of the most prominent representatives of Czech Realism and a member of the " May School". Early li ...
,
Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...
and
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
's ''
Sketches by Boz Sketch or Sketches may refer to: * Sketch (drawing), a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not usually intended as a finished work Arts, entertainment and media * Sketch comedy, a series of short scenes or vignettes called sketches Fil ...
''. Before World War I, he uncovered the spy scandal involving Alfred Redl, which he published anonymously at the time. At the outbreak of World War I, Kisch was called up for military service and became a corporal in the Austrian army. He fought on the front line in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
and the
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and his wartime experiences were later recorded in ''Schreib das auf, Kisch!'' (''Write That Down, Kisch!'') (1929). He was briefly imprisoned in 1916 for publishing reports from the front that criticised the Austrian military's conduct of the war, but nonetheless later served in the army's press quarters along with fellow writers
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 Forty ...
and
Robert Musil Robert Musil (; 6 November 1880 – 15 April 1942) was an Austrian philosophical writer. His unfinished novel, ''The Man Without Qualities'' (), is generally considered to be one of the most important and influential modernist novels. Family M ...
.


Communist

The war radicalised Kisch. He deserted in October 1918 as the war came to an end and played a leading role in the abortive
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
revolution in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
in November of that year. Werfel's novel ''Barbara oder die Frömmigkeit'' (1929) portrays the events of this period and Kisch was the inspiration for one of the novel's characters. Although the revolution failed, in 1919 Kisch became a member of the Austrian Communist Party and remained a Communist for the rest of his life. Between 1921 and 1930 Kisch, though a citizen of
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
, lived primarily in Berlin, where his work found a new and appreciative audience. In books of collected journalism such as ''Der rasende Reporter'' (''The Whirling Reporter'') (1924), he cultivated the image of a witty, gritty, daring reporter always on the move, a cigarette clamped doggedly between his lips. His work and his public persona found an echo in the artistic movement of Neue Sachlichkeit, a major strand in the culture of the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
. From 1925 onwards Kisch was a speaker and operative of the communist international and a senior figure in the publishing empire of the West European branch of the
Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...
run by communist propagandist Willi Münzenberg. In 1928 Kisch was one of the founders of the Association of Proletarian-Revolutionary Authors. Through the late twenties and early thirties, Kisch wrote a series of books chronicling his journeys to the
Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
, the U.S.A., Soviet Central Asia and China. These later works are more strongly informed by Kisch's
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
politics. Whereas in his earlier collections of reportage he had explicitly stated that a reporter should remain impartial, Kisch came to feel that it was necessary for a writer to engage politically with what he was reporting on.


Exile

On 28 February 1933, the day after the
Reichstag fire The Reichstag fire (, ) was an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Monday, 27 February 1933, precisely four weeks after Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany. Marinus van der Lubbe, ...
, Kisch was one of many prominent opponents 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 ...
to be arrested. He was briefly imprisoned in Spandau Prison, but as a Czechoslovak citizen, was expelled from Germany. His works were banned and burnt in Germany, but he continued to write for the
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
and
émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Hugueno ...
German press, bearing witness to the horrors of the Nazi takeover. In the years between the
Machtergreifung The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...
and the outbreak of World War II, Kisch continued to travel widely to report and to speak publicly in the
anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...
cause.


Reichstag Fire counter-trial and exclusion from Britain

Following the Reichstag Fire Trial organised by the Nazi government to lay the blame for the fire on Communist opponents, a counter-trial was organized in 1933 in London by a group of lawyers, democrats and other anti-Nazi groups under the aegis of German Communist émigrés. Kisch was to be a witness at the counter trial but was refused leave to land in the United Kingdom because of his "known subversive activities".


Attempted exclusion from Australia

Kisch's visit to Australia as a delegate to the All-Australian Congress Against War and Fascism in 1934 was later chronicled in his book ''Landung in Australien'' (''Australian Landfall'') (1937). The right-wing Australian government refused Kisch entry from the ship ''Strathaird'' at Fremantle and Melbourne because of his previous exclusion from the UK. Kisch then took matters into his own hands. He jumped five metres from the deck of his ship onto the quayside at
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, breaking his leg in the process. He was bundled back on board but this dramatic action mobilised the Australian left in support of Kisch. When the ''Strathaird'' docked in Sydney, proceedings were taken against the Captain on the grounds that he was illegally detaining Kisch. Justice
H. V. Evatt Herbert Vere "Doc" Evatt, (30 April 1894 – 2 November 1965) was an Australian politician and judge. He served as a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1930 to 1940, Attorney-General of Australia, Attorney-General and Minister for For ...
ordered that Kisch be released. Under the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, visitors could be refused entry if they failed a dictation test in any European language. As soon as Kisch was released, he was re-arrested and was one of the very few Europeans to be given the test; he was tested in
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
because it was thought he might pass if tested in other European languages. The officer who tested him had grown up in northern Scotland but did not have a particularly good grasp of Scottish Gaelic himself. In the High Court case of '' R v Wilson; ex parte Kisch'', the court found that Scottish Gaelic was not within the fair meaning of the Act, and overturned Kisch's convictions for being an illegal immigrant. On 17 February 1935, Kisch addressed a crowd of 18,000 in the Sydney Domain warning of the dangers of Hitler's Nazi regime, of another war and of
concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...
.


Spain, France, the United States and Mexico

In 1937 and 1938, Kisch was in Spain, where left-wingers from across the world had been drawn by the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. He travelled across the country, speaking in the Republican cause, and his reports from the front line were widely published. Following the
Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...
of 1938 and the subsequent Nazi occupation of
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
six months later, Kisch was unable to return to the country of his birth. Once war broke out, Paris, which he had made his main home since 1933, also became too dangerous for an outspoken Jewish communist whose native land no longer existed. In late 1939, Kisch and his wife Gisela sailed for New York where, once again, he was initially denied entry. He eventually landed at
Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...
on 28 December, but as he only had a transit visa moved on to Mexico in October 1940. He remained in Mexico for the next five years, one of a circle of European communist refugees, notable among them Anna Seghers and Ludwig Renn and the German-Czech writer Lenka Reinerová. He continued to write, producing a book on Mexico and a memoir, ''Marktplatz der Sensationen'' (''Sensation Fair'') (1941). In this period of exile, Kisch's work regularly returned to the themes of his Prague home and his Jewish roots and in March 1946 (after troubles in securing a Czechoslovak visa) he was able to return to his birthplace. Immediately after the return he started to travel around the country and work as a journalist again.


Legacy

Kisch died of a stroke two years after his return to Prague, shortly after the Communist party seized complete power. Kisch is buried in the
Vinohrady Cemetery Vinohrady Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Vinohrady in Prague 10 which contains Strašnice Crematorium. It is the second largest cemetery in Prague and is registered in the state list of cultural monuments. The remains of two Czech presidents ...
, Prague, Czech Republic. After his death, Kisch's life and work were held up as exemplary in the GDR. The attitude to both in West Germany was more complicated due to his communism. Nonetheless, when ''Stern'' magazine founded a prestigious award for German
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
in 1977, it was named the Egon Erwin Kisch Prize in his honour. Kisch's work as a writer and communist journalist inspired Australian left wing intellectuals and writers such as
Katharine Susannah Prichard Katharine Susannah Prichard (4 December 18832 October 1969) was an Australian author and co-founding member of the Communist Party of Australia. Early life Prichard was born in Levuka, Fiji in 1883 to Australian parents. She spent her childhood ...
, E. J. Brady, Vance and Nettie Palmer and Louis Esson. This group formed the nucleus of what later became the Writers League, drawing on the example of Egon Kisch’s own journalistic dedication to reportage. Kisch has appeared as a character in novels by Australian authors. Without naming him, his visit to Australia, the leap from the ship and the court case challenging the validity of the language test are mentioned in Kylie Tennant's '' Ride on Stranger (novel)'' (1943). He is a minor character in Frank Hardy's '' Power Without Glory'' (1950), which was filmed for television in (1976), and plays a central, if fictionalised, role in Nicholas Hasluck's ''Our Man K'' (1999). He appears in
Sulari Gentill Sulari Gentill is a short Sri Lankan-born Australian author, also known under the pen name of S. D. Gentill. She initially studied astrophysics before becoming a corporate lawyer, but has since become a writer of mystery and fantasy fiction. ...
's detective novel ''Paving the New Road'' (2012) along with other real persons such as Nancy Wake and Unity Mitford.


Selected bibliography

English titles are given where the work has been translated into English. All dates refer to earliest publication. *''Aus Prager Gassen und Nächten'' (1912) – An early collection of reports from Prague's underworld *''Der Mädchenhirt'' (1914) – Kisch's only novel, again set in the Prague underworld *''Der Fall des Generalstabschefs Redl'' (1924) *''Der rasende Reporter'' (1924) *''Hetzjagd durch die Zeit'' (1925) *''Elliptical Treadmill'' (1925) – On Six Days of Berlin *''Zaren, Popen, Bolschewiken'' (1926) – On the Soviet Union *''Schreib das auf, Kisch!'' (1929) *''Paradies Amerika'' (1929) – On the United States *''Asien gründlich verändert'' (''Changing Asia'') (1932) – On Soviet Central Asia *''China Geheim'' (''Secret China'') (1933) – On China *''Geschichten aus sieben Ghettos'' (''Tales from Seven Ghettos'') (1934) – A collection with a Jewish theme *''Landung in Australien'' (''Australian Landfall'') (1937) *''Soldaten am Meeresstrand'' (1938) – Reports from the Spanish Civil War *''Die drei Kühe'' (''The Three Cows'') (1939) – Report from the Spanish Civil War *''Marktplatz der Sensationen'' (''Sensation Fair'') (1941) – memoir up to 1914 *''Entdeckungen in Mexiko'' (1945)


References


Further reading

* * * Gatterer, Joachim (2019):
"History, literature and propaganda: Egon Erwin Kisch in the Spanish Civil War
', in: Alía Miranda, Francisco/Higueras Castañeda, Eduardo/Selva Iniesta, Antonio (ed.): Hasta pronto, amigos de España. Las Brigadas Internacionales en el 80 aniversario de su despedida de la Guerra Civil (1938–2018), Albacete: CEDOBI 2019, 249–261. * * * * * * * * *


External links


Kisch memoir of first 30 years in Prague


* ttp://www.nla.gov.au/events/history/papers/Nicholas_Hasluck.html Nicholas Hasluck on writing about Kisch * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kisch, Egon Erwin Austrian anti-fascists Czech communists Czech journalists Journalists from Austria-Hungary Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Charles University alumni Comintern people Czechoslovak people of the Spanish Civil War Refugees in Mexico Czech writers in German Jewish Czech writers Jewish socialists Marxist journalists Czech investigative journalists Czech Marxist writers 1885 births 1948 deaths European Sephardi Jews Writers from Prague Visa policy of Australia 20th-century Austrian journalists Burials at Vinohrady Cemetery