Martin Kessel (14 April 1901 – 14 April 1990) was a German writer. In 1954, he was awarded the
Georg Büchner Prize
The Georg Büchner Prize () is the most important literary prize for German language literature. The award is named after dramatist and writer Georg Büchner, author of '' Woyzeck'' and '' Leonce and Lena''. The Georg Büchner Prize is awarded an ...
by the
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
The Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung (in English German Academy for Language and Literature) was founded on 28 August 1949, on the 200th birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, in the Paulskirche, Frankfurt, Paulskirche in Frankfurt. I ...
. He was born in
Plauen
Plauen (; ; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany with a population of around 65,000. It is Saxony's 5th most populated city after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the largest cit ...
and died in
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 ...
. The New York based literary website
complete review
''Complete Review'' (stylized ''complete review'') is a literary website founded in March 1999. It is best known for reviews of novels in English translation, in particular drawing attention to otherwise neglected contemporary works from around th ...
has labeled Kessel as one of the almost forgotten authors who "has long bobbed near that surface separating recognition from oblivion, threatening several times to sink from sight".
Writing
''Mr. Brecher's Fiasco'' is considered Kessel's masterpiece. The novel which was first published in German in 1932 was praised by the
University of Wisconsin Press
The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a Non-profit organization, non-profit university press publishing Peer review, peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic comm ...
as "one of the great modern novels about the urban heart of Germany" in "a time of hope and hyperinflation, sexual liberation and repression, industrialization and unemployment, and constant political instability — with the shadow of fascism looming ever larger.
Awards
*
Kleist Prize
The Kleist Prize is an annual German literature prize. The prize was first awarded in 1912, on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the death of Heinrich von Kleist. The Kleist Prize was the most important literary award of the Weimar Rep ...
Honorable Mention
*
Georg Büchner Prize
The Georg Büchner Prize () is the most important literary prize for German language literature. The award is named after dramatist and writer Georg Büchner, author of '' Woyzeck'' and '' Leonce and Lena''. The Georg Büchner Prize is awarded an ...
1954
*
Fontane Prize 1961
*
1962
References
External links
Martin Kessel's author page at Schöffling & Co. publishing house
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kessel, Martin
1901 births
1990 deaths
Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
German male writers