Jan Fethke (26 February 1903 – 16 December 1980) was a

German 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 ...

- Polish film director and, under the pen name Jean Forge, a successful author. He also was a famous proponent of the language

Esperanto Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...

Life

Born in Oppeln,

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

, Jan Fethke attended Oppeln's grammar school. Together with his brothers Stefan and Edmond, Fethke learned

in 1919, when aged sixteen. After leaving grammar school, he edited the periodical ''Esperanto Triumfonta'' for several years. Between 1923 and 1924 studied at Technical University of Danzig and worked for a local newspaper before moving to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In 1921, aged 18, he penned his first novel, the German language ''Der ausgestopfte Papagei'' (''The Stuffed Parrot''). After 1923, he wrote his novels in Esperanto and used the pseudonym ''Jean Forge''. His most important Esperanto works are '' Abismoj'' (''Abysses'', 1923), '' Saltego trans jarmiloj'' (''A Leap across the Millennia'', 1924) and '' Mr. Tot Aĉetas Mil Okulojn'' (''Mr. Tot Buys a Thousand Eyes'', 1931), which have been translated into several languages. His books were inventive, rich in ideas, and a witty representative of enjoyable light literature with a talent for psychological observation and a precise knowledge of effects. After moving to Berlin in 1928, Fethke worked as a writer and assistant for Ufa. His most successful films were ''Mutter Krausens Fahrt ins Glück'' (''Mommy Krause's Trip into Happiness'') and ''Jenseits der Straße'' (''On the Far Side of the Street''), for which he wrote the screenplay. At Ufa, he also made the acquaintance of

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

, who later used his ''Mr. Tot'' novel for his last film, '' The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse'' (1960). He also continued his work in Esperanto. In 1932 began to teach courses in Sweden, using the Cseh-method. In 1934 he dubbed the German film ''Morgen beginnt das Leben'' (''Life will Start Tomorrow'') into Esperanto and, under the title ''Morgaŭ ni komencos la vivon'', exhibited during the 26th World Esperanto Congress in Stockholm. After the

Second World War 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 ...

, Fethke achieved fame as a film director in Poland. In 1960, he moved to

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

. He was a collaborator of the review '' Literatura Mondo'' (''Literary World'') and many other periodicals.

Selected works

Novels

* '' Abismoj'' (''Abysses''), 1923 * '' Saltego trans Jarmiloj'' (''A Leap across the Millennia''), 1924 * '' Mr. Tot Aĉetas Mil Okulojn'' (''Mr. Tot Buys a Thousand Eyes''), 1931

Collection of novellas

* '' La verda raketo'' ("The green rocket") 1961 * '' Mia verda breviero'' ("My green prayer book"), 1974

Films

*'' Mother Krause's Journey to Happiness'', 1929 (screenplay). * '' Beyond the Street'' (1929) (screenplay together with

Willy Döll Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Allen (basketball) (born 1949), American basketball player and ...

). *'' Schön ist es, verliebt zu sein'', 1933/34 (screenplay). *'' Carlos schönstes Abenteuer'', 1934 (screenplay). *''Morgaŭ ni komencos la vivon'', an Esperanto version of '' Morgen beginnt das Leben'', 1934 (dubbing). *', 1935 (screenplay). *', 1935 (screenplay). *'' Papa się żeni'', 1936 (screenplay) *'' Dodek na froncie'', 1936 (screenplay) *'' Robert i Bertrand'', 1938 (screenplay) *'' Zapomniana melodia'', 1938 (directed together with Konrad Tom) *'' Bogurodzica'', 1939 (director) *'' Przez łzy do szczęścia'', 1939 (director, screenplay) *'' Złota Maska'', 1939/40 (director, screenplay) *'' Bravo, kleiner Thomas'', 1943/44 (director). *'' Ulica graniczna'', 1948 (screenplay) *'' Załoga'', 1951 (director, screenplay) *'' Sprawa do załatwienia'', 1953 (director, screenplay) * '' Irena do domu!'', 1955 (director). * '' Der schweigende Stern'' (''Milcząca gwiazda''), 1959 (screenplay), an

East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

-Polish co-production.

External links

*
Jan Fethke
works in

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek The Austrian National Library (, ) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of Vienna. Since 2005, some of the collection ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fethke, Jan 1903 births 1980 deaths Polish male writers Writers of Esperanto literature Polish film directors Polish screenwriters German male screenwriters Polish people of German descent People from the Province of Silesia People from Opole German Esperantists Polish Esperantists 20th-century German screenwriters