Franz Theodor Csokor (6 September 1885 – 5 January 1969) was an

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n author and dramatist, particularly well known for his

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

dramas. His most successful and best-known piece is ''3. November 1918'', about the downfall of the

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 ...

monarchy. In many of his works, Csokor deals with themes of

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Life

Csokor was born into a respectable middle-class family 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. ...

; the name Csokor is Hungarian and means "bunch f flowers. In his youth, he began studying courses in

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

, but dropped out. From early on he felt a calling to be a dramatist, and composed his first pieces before

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 ...

. Csokor spent 1913–14 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, where he was drafted as a soldier in the war. He would later be employed at the Austrian War Archives in Vienna. From 1922 to 1928, Csokor worked as 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 Raimundtheater and the Deutsches Volkstheater in Vienna. From 1933, he was a convinced opponent of

National Socialism 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 frequ ...

; he was among the signatories of a statement against National Socialism at the

PEN PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...

congress in

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

of that year. In 1938, after the

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

of Austria to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, he emigrated voluntarily. He spent

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 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

before ending up in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

after the fall of

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...

in 1944, where he lived in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. There, he worked for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Despite travel restrictions in place at the time, Csokor returned to Vienna in 1946, dressed in a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

uniform. During the

Allied occupation of Austria An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are call ...

which lasted until 1955, Csokor settled in the British sector of Vienna, working as a freelance journalist for newspapers such as the ''

Wiener Zeitung ''Wiener Zeitung'' () is an Austrian newspaper. First published as the ''Wiennerisches Diarium'' in 1703, it is one of the oldest newspapers in the world. Until April 2023, it was the official gazette of the government of the Republic of Austria ...

''. In 1947, he became president of the Austrian PEN Club, in which he remained an active member until well into his old age; in 1968, he became vice-president of International PEN. After his death, the Austrian PEN Club named a literary award, the Franz-Theodor-Csokor-Preis, after him in 1970. A convinced

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

, Csokor spoke up in his dramas for peace, freedom and human rights. His creative life was also closely connected with the

labour movement The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

. He died in Vienna in 1969, and is buried in a grave of honour in the

Zentralfriedhof The Vienna Central Cemetery () is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its significance as Vienna's biggest cemet ...

. The ''Csokorgasse'', a street in Vienna, was named after him in 1975. In 1994, the Austrian Post Office published a special stamp in his honour.

Decorations and awards

* 1937 – Golden Laurel of the Warsaw Academy of Letters * 1937 – Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) * 1937 – Ring of Honour of the Vienna

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

* 1938 – Grillparzer Prize * 1953 – Literary Prize of the City of Vienna * 1954 – Member of the

German Academy for Language and Literature 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 Ger ...

* 1955 – Ring of Honour of the City of Vienna * 1955 – Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature * 1960 – Golden Pen * 1961 – Honorary Member of the ''Concordia'' Press Club * 1965 –

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 ...

Works

Drama

* ''Die rote Straße'', 1918 * ''Die Stunde des Absterbens'', 1919 * ''Gesellschaft der Menschenrechte'', 1929 * ''Besetztes Gebiet'', 1930 * ''3. November 1918'', 1936; Ephelant 1993. . * ''Gottes General'', 1939; Ephelant 1993. . * ''Kalypso'', 1942 * ''Der verlorene Sohn'', 1943; Ephelant 1993. . * ''Cäsars Witwe'', 1954 * ''Pilatus'', 1954 * ''Hebt den Stein ab'', 1957 * ''Jadwiga'', 1966 * ''Der tausendjährige Traum'', 1966 * ''Alexander'', 1969 * ''Der Kaiser zwischen den Zeiten'', 1969

Prose

* ''Hildebrands Heimkehr, eine deutsche Sage'', 1905 * ''Schuß ins Geschäft (Der Fall Otto Eißler)'', 1925 * ''Über die Schwelle'', short stories, 1937 * ''Der Schlüssel zum Abgrund'', novel, 1955 * ''Der zweite Hahnenschrei'', short stories, 1959 * ''Ein paar Schaufeln Erde'', short stories, 1965 * ''Auch heute noch nicht an Land. Briefe und Gedichte aus dem Exil.'' With ''Das schwarze Schiff'' and ''Zeuge einer Zeit''. Ephelant 1993. .

Poetry

* ''Die Gewalten'', 1912 * ''Der Dolch und die Wunde'', 1917 * ''Ewiger Aufbruch'', 1926 * ''Das schwarze Schiff'', 1945, 1947; 1993 * ''Immer ist Anfang'', 1952

Autobiography

* ''Als Zivilist im polnischen Krieg'', Allert de Lange, Amsterdam 1940 * ''Als Zivilist im Balkankrieg'', Ullstein, Vienna 1947 ** new edition ed. Franz Richard Reiter. Ephelant, Vienna 2000. Excerpt in FTC, ''Der 25. Juli'' in Zwischenwelt. Theodor Kramer Society Jg. 27 #4, February 2011 pp. 46f. * ''Auf fremden Straßen'', Desch, Vienna 1955 * ''Zeuge einer Zeit: Briefe aus dem Exil 1933–1950'', Langen-Müller, Munich 1955
Autobiographical sketch by Franz Theodor Csokor, ca. 1914
for

Franz Brümmer Karl Wilhelm Franz Brümmer (17 November 1836, Wusterhausen – 30 January 1923, Munich) was a German educator and lexicographer. He attended the teaching seminar in Köpenick and later worked as an instructor in Zehdenick (from 1856) and Trebbin ( ...

; In: Digital Edition of the lexicographic papers from the literary estate of Franz Brümmer

References

* Lilly Adler: ''Die dramatischen Werke von Franz Theodor Csokor''. Vienna: university dissertation 1950. * Joseph P. Strelka (ed.): ''Immer ist Anfang. Der Dichter Franz Theodor Csokor''. Lang, Frankfurt am Main and elsewhere. 1990. . * Eckart Früh: ''F. Th. Csokor, ein Frondeur''. In: ''3. November 1918. Der verlorene Sohn. Gottes General''., Ephelant 1993, pp. 249–254. . * Harald Klauhs: ''Franz Theodor Csokor. Leben und Werk bis 1938 im Überblick''. Heinz, Akad. Verl., Stuttgart 1988. (= Stuttgarter Arbeiten zur Germanistik; 204) . * Ulrich N. Schulenburg (ed.): ''Lebensbilder eines Humanisten. Ein Franz Theodor Csokor-Buch''. Löcker, Vienna 1992. . * Paul Wimmer: ''Der Dramatiker Franz Theodor Csokor''. Wagner, Innsbruck 1981. (= Dramatiker, Stücke, Perspektiven; 4) .

External links

*
Website about Franz Theodor Csokor

www.csokor.de SAB

Autobiographical sketch by Franz Theodor Csokor, ca. 1914
to

; In: Digital Edition of the lexicographic papers from the literary estate of Franz Brümmer
Entry about Franz Theodor Csokor
in the lexicon of the

Landesmuseum Niederösterreich Landesmuseum (‘state museum’) may refer to a museum of a state of Germany or a state of Austria: * Hessischen Landesmuseen: ** Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt ** Hessian State Museum, Kassel ** Museum Wiesbaden ** ** Saalburg *Landesmuseum ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Csokor, Franz Theodor 1885 births 1969 deaths Writers from Vienna Austrian male dramatists and playwrights Austrian emigrants to Italy Emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss Expressionist dramatists and playwrights Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Grand Austrian State Prize Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art 20th-century Austrian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Austrian male writers