Peter Ulrich Weiss (8 November 1916 – 10 May 1982) was a German writer, painter,

graphic artist A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming l ...

, and experimental filmmaker of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays ''

Marat/Sade ''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade'' (), usually shortened to ''Marat/Sade'' (), is a 1963 play by Peter Weiss. The work was firs ...

'' and '' The Investigation'' and his novel '' The Aesthetics of Resistance''. Peter Weiss earned his reputation in the post-war German literary world as the proponent of an avant-garde, meticulously descriptive writing, as an exponent of

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

prose, and also as a politically engaged dramatist. He gained international success with ''Marat/Sade'', the American production of which was awarded a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

and its subsequent

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

directed by

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

. His "Auschwitz Oratorium," '' The Investigation'', served to broaden the debates over the so-called "Aufarbeitung der Vergangenheit" (or formerly) "Vergangenheitsbewältigung" or "

politics of history Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of status or resources. The branch of social science that studies poli ...

." Weiss's magnum opus was '' The Aesthetics of Resistance'', called one of the "most important German-language work of the 70s and 80s." His early, surrealist-inspired work as a painter and experimental filmmaker remains less well known.

Life

Weiss was born in Nowawes (now part of

Potsdam-Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of Potsdam, the capital city of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace an ...

) near

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 ...

, to a Hungarian Jewish father Jenö Weisz from Nagy Emöke,

Nyitra County Nyitra County (; ; ; ) was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory lay in what is now western Slovakia. Geography Nyitra County shared borders with the Austrian land Moravia and Trencsén County, Turó ...

(whose parents were Moric Weisz and Fanny Steiner from Szered near Pozsony) and a Christian mother from Switzerland. After the First World War and the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Weiss's father became a Czech citizen and the son acquired his father's citizenship – Weiss was never a German citizen. At age three he moved with his family to the German port city of

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

, and during his adolescence back to

where he began training as a painter. In 1935 he emigrated with his family to

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater ...

, near London, where he studied photography at the Polytechnic School of Photography. In 1936–1937 the family moved to Czechoslovakia. Weiss attended the

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 ...

Art Academy. After the German occupation of the Czech

Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and ) is a German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the border districts of Bohe ...

in 1938, his family moved to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, while Weiss was visiting

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss poet and novelist, and the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His interest in Eastern philosophy, Eastern religious, spiritual, and philosophic ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. In 1939 he joined his family in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, where he lived for the rest of his life. He became a Swedish citizen in 1946. Weiss was married three times: to the painter Helga Henschen, 1943–47; to Carlota Dethorey, 1949; and from 1964 until his death to the Swedish artist and stage designer Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss. In the 1960s Weiss became increasingly politically radical, taking stands for revolutionary Cuba and against US intervention in Vietnam and visiting both countries. In 1966 he visited the United States together with the West German writers group ''Gruppe 47''. During a conference at Princeton University he denounced the US war against North Vietnam which seems to have scandalized his German colleagues more than his US hosts. In 1967 he participated in the anti-war

Russell Tribunal The Russell Tribunal, also known as the International War Crimes Tribunal, Russell–Sartre Tribunal, or Stockholm Tribunal, was a private people's tribunal organised in 1966 by Bertrand Russell, British philosopher and Nobel Prize winner, and ...

in Stockholm and in 1968 he joined the eurocommunist Swedish Left Party (VPK). During the same year he also visited North Vietnam and published a book about his trip. In 1970 Weiss suffered a heart attack. During the following decade, he wrote his monumental three-part novel, '' The Aesthetics of Resistance'', as well as two very different stage versions of

Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of real ...

's novel '' The Trial''. He died in Stockholm in 1982.

Painting, Film, and Literature

Die Ermittlung Staatstheater Nuernberg 2009

During his early life as a painter – 1930 to 1950 – Weiss was influenced by old Dutch masters such as Pieter Breughel, and

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...

. After World War II his painting, as well as his work in film and literature, came under the lasting influence of

Surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

. He taught painting at Stockholm's People's University, and illustrated a Swedish edition of ''

The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of History of the Middle East, Middle Eastern List of fairy tales, folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nigh ...

''. In 1952 he joined the Swedish Experimental Film Studio, where he directed several experimental short films, followed by several socially conscious documentary shorts: ''Gesichter im Schatten'' (Faces in the Shadow, 1956), ''Im Namen des Gesetzes'' (In the Name of the Law, 1957), ''Was machen wir jetzt?'' (What Do We Do Now?, 1958). In 1959 he directed his only full length (experimental) film ''Hägringen'' ''(The Disappeared''). In the early 1950s, Weiss had begun to write again, producing a number of prose works, some in German, others in Swedish. Most are short, intense, surrealist text which suggest the influence of

(whose work Weiss would later adapt for the stage). The most important of these prose texts is ''Der Schatten des Körpers des Kutschers'' (''The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman'', 1952). It is a nearly hermetic experimental work which explores language through the use of surreal, disturbing imagery whereby an apparent rural idyll is transformed into a kafkaesque nightmare. The Surrealist effect was enhanced by collages in the style of

Max Ernst Max Ernst (; 2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic trai ...

, so-called xylography, which Peter Weiss created for the book. ''Coachman'' has been linked both to the French ''

nouveau roman The Nouveau Roman (, "new novel") is a type of French novel in the 1950s and 60s that diverged from traditional literary genres. Émile Henriot coined the term in an article in the popular French newspaper ''Le Monde'' on May 22, 1957 to describ ...

'' of

Alain Robbe-Grillet Alain Robbe-Grillet (; 18 August 1922 – 18 February 2008) was a French writer and filmmaker. He was one of the figures most associated with the ''Nouveau Roman'' () trend of the 1960s, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and Claude Simo ...

and

Raymond Queneau Raymond Auguste Queneau (; ; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo (), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau, the only child of Auguste Que ...

, as well as to French absurdist works by

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

, Eugene Ionesco, and

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

. When it was eventually published in Germany in 1960 it put its 45-year-old writer at the forefront of the West German literary scene. Weiss abandoned painting and filmmaking and turned exclusively to writing. Nearly all his subsequent works – and all of the major ones – are written in German. His next prose work, ''Abschied von den Eltern'' (''Leavetaking'', 1959/60) was less hermetic than ''Coachman'' and strongly autobiographical. It was not only a critical but also a public success, as was its follow-up ''Fluchtpunkt'' (''Vanishing Point'', 1962) Since the early 1950 Weiss had also been writing plays: ''Der Turm'' (''The Tower'', 1950), ''Die Versicherung'' (''The Insurance'', 1952), ''Nacht mit Gästen'' (''Night with Guests'', 1963), ''Wie dem Herrn Mockinpott das Leiden ausgetrieben wird'' ''(How Mister Mockinpott was Cured of His Sufferings'', 1963/68). But none of these stage works prepared the public for what came next: A play about the French Revolution which through its title alone became an overnight a sensation: ''"Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade'' (''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean Paul Marat As Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of Monsieur de Sade''). First performed in West Berlin in 1964, it quickly brought Weiss notoriety. The following year, 1965, British director

staged it at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in London. Brook's film version (1967) turned ''Marat/Sade'' into an international cultural icon. Set in an insane asylum and constantly in danger of being overwhelmed by madness and chaos, the play explores the place of writers and intellectuals in a time of revolutionary upheaval. At its center are two very different historical figures,

Jean-Paul Marat Jean-Paul Marat (, , ; born Jean-Paul Mara; 24 May 1743 – 13 July 1793) was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the ''sans-culottes ...

, a writer and leading intellectual of the French Revolution, and the

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...

, a writer and intellectual as well, whose attitude towards the revolution is much more ambivalent and who is solipsistically obsessed with sex, violence, and pain. In the play Weiss draws both on

Antonin Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...

's Theater of Cruelty and on its opposite: Brecht's theater of reason. In the words of de Sade: "Our intent in creating such dialogues as these / was to experiment with various antitheses / to oppose each to each so that we might / upon our many doubts shed some light". Much of the discussion of the play has focused on whether it is Marat's or Sade's position which prevails. Beginning with ''Marat/Sade'' Weiss's work increasingly attracted the attention of communist East Germany. The play and all the ones to follow were staged in exemplary fashion in

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

and other theaters in the GDR. Weiss frequently visited East Berlin and became friends with many East German writers and artists. He developed a collaborative relationship and eventually a close friendship with Manfred Haiduk, professor of literature in Rostock. After Weiss wrote his play about Trotsky, which East German party functionaries interpreted as an anti-Leninist provocation, he for a while became

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...

, but the relationship soon revived. Weiss was one of only a handful of western artists and intellectuals whose work attracted wide interest in both Germanies though in both states he was also subjected to distrust and denunciations. During this period Brecht's influence on Weiss's plays became more evident. He also became obsessed with

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poetry, narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of ...

the influence of which is present in all his works from the mid-1960s until his death. In 1965, Weiss wrote the documentary play '' The Investigation'' (''Die Ermittlung'') on the

Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials The Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, known in German language, German as , was a series of three trials running from 20 December 1963 to 14 June 1968, charging 25 defendants under German criminal law for their roles in the Holocaust as mid- to lower- ...

. ''Like Marat/Sade'' it attracted wide international attention and became the focus of heated debates about the 'right' way of representing Auschwitz and about who gets to decide what is acceptable and what is not. This was followed by two experimental plays about the struggle for self-determination in the 'Third World': ''Gesang vom lusitanischen Popanz'' (''Song of the Lusitanian Bogey'' better translation would be ''Canto of the Lusitanian Bogey''1967) about Angola, and ''Viet Nam Diskurs'' (''Viet Nam Discourse'', 1968). The next two plays once again focused on intellectuals and writers in times of upheaval: ''Trotzki im Exil'' (''Trotsky in Exile'', 1970)See Robert Cohen: "A Dream of Dada and Lenin: Peter Weiss's 'Trotsky in Exile'." In: ''Rethinking Peter Weiss''. Jost Hermand and Marc Silberman (eds.). Peter Lang, 2000. 151-73. and ''Hölderlin'' (1971). Between 1971 and 1981 Weiss worked on his opus magnum: his three part 1000 page novel on the European resistance against Nazi Germany, '' The Aesthetics of Resistance''. Weiss received numerous awards, among them the Charles Veillon Award, 1963; the Lessing Prize, 1965; the

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 ...

, 1966; the Carl Albert Anderson Prize, 1967; the Thomas Dehler Prize, 1978; the Cologne Literature Prize, 1981; the Bremen Literature Prize, 1982; the Swedish Theatre Critics Prize, 1982; and finally the highest German literary award, the Georg Büchner Prize, 1982.

Selected works

All works were originally written in German unless otherwise noted. English translations and, where applicable, place of publication, publisher and date of English language publication, are in parentheses.

Plays

* 1949 ''Der Turm'' (''The Tower''. New York: Dutton, 1967, pp. 315–48) * 1952 ''Die Versicherung'' * 1963 ''Nacht mit Gästen'' (''Night with Guests''. In: ''The Best Short Plays 1968''. Philadelphia New York London: Chilton, 1968. 131-58.) * 1963/5 ''Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade'' (''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat As Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of Monsieur de Sade'' 'Marat/Sade''. In: Peter Weiss: ''Marat/Sade, The Investigation, and The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman''. New York: Continuum, 1998. 41–114.) * 1963/8 ''Wie dem Herrn Mockinpott das Leiden ausgetrieben wird'' (''How Mr. Mockinpott was Cured of his Sufferings''. In: ''The Contemporary German Theater''. New York: Avon, 1972, 163–211.) * 1965 ''Die Ermittlung'' (''The Investigation. Oratorio In 11 Cantos''. In: Peter Weiss: ''Marat/Sade, The Investigation, and The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman''. New York: Continuum, 1998. 117–296.) * 1967 ''Gesang vom lusitanischen Popanz'' (''Song of the Lusitanian Bogey''. In: Peter Weiss. ''Two Plays''. New York: Atheneum, 1970. 1–63) * 1968 ''Diskurs über die Vorgeschichte und den Verlauf des lang andauernden Befreiungskrieges in Viet Nam als Beispiel für die Notwendigkeit des bewaffneten Kampfes der Unterdrückten gegen ihre Unterdrücker sowie über die Versuche der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika die Grundlagen der Revolution zu vernichten'' (''Discourse on the Progress of the Prolonged War of Liberation in Viet Nam and the Events Leading up to it as Illustration of the Necessity for Armed Resistance against Oppression and on the Attempts of the United States of America to Destroy the Foundations of Revolution'' 'Viet Nam Discourse'' In: Peter Weiss. ''Two Plays''. New York: Atheneum, 1970. 65–249.) * 1969 ''Trotzki im Exil'' (''Trotsky in Exile''. New York: Atheneum, 1972.) * 1971 ''Hölderlin'' (''Hölderlin''. London New York Calcutta: Seagull Press. 2010.) * 1974 ''Der Prozeß'' – adaptation of

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

's novel * 1982 ''Der neue Prozeß'' (''The New Trial''. Durham: Duke UP, 2001.)

Prose Fiction

* 1944 ''Från ö till ö'' (''From Island to Island''; written in Swedish; German: ''Von Insel zu Insel'') * 1948 ''De besegrade'' (''The Conquered''; written in Swedish; German: ''Die Besiegten'') * 1948 ''Der Vogelfreie'' (published as ''Dokument I'' in Swedish (1949) and in German as ''Der Fremde'' under the pseudonym Sinclair) * 1951 ''Duellen'' (''The Duel''; written in Swedish; German: ''Das Duell'') * 1952 ''Der Schatten des Körpers des Kutschers'' (''The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman''. In: Peter Weiss: ''Marat/Sade, The Investigation, and The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman''. New York: Continuum, 1998. 1–39.) * 1956 ''Situationen'' (''The Situation''; written in Swedish; German: ''Die Situation'') * 1960 ''Abschied von den Eltern'' (''Leavetaking''. In: Peter Weiss, ''Exile''. New York: Delacorte, 1968, 1–88) * 1961 ''Fluchtpunkt'' (''Vanishing Point''. In: Weiss, ''Exile''. New York: Delacorte, 1968. 89–245.) These two pieces (Leavetaking & Vanishing Point) were published in English (from a translation by Christopher Levenson) in 1966 and published by Calder & Boyars * 1962 ''Das Gespräch der drei Gehenden'' (''Conversation of the Three Wayfarers''. In: Peter Weiss, ''Bodies and Shadows'', New York: Delacorte, 1969. 59–120.) * 1975–1981 ''Die Ästhetik des Widerstands'', 3 vols., I: 1975; II: 1978; III: 1981. (''The Aesthetics of Resistance''. Vol. I. Durham: Duke UP, 2005. Vol. II. Durham: Duke UP, 2020)

Other writings

* 1956 ''Avantgarde Film'' (written in Swedish) * 1964 "Meine Ortschaft" ("My Place." In: ''German Writing Today''. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967. 20–28.) * 1965 "10 Arbeitspunkte eines Autors in der geteilten Welt." ("The Necessary Decision. 10 Working Theses of an Author in the Divided World." ''Chalk Circle'', vol. 1, 1 (April–May)/1966, 3–7. * 1966 "I Come out of my hiding place." ''The Nation'', 30 May 1966, pp. 652, 655. (Written in English by Peter Weiss.) * 1968 ''Rapporte'' (Collected essays) * 1968 ''Notizen zum kulturellen Leben der Demokratischen Republik Viet Nam''. (''Notes on the Cultural Life of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.'' London: Calder & Boyars, 1971.) * 1968 "Notizen zum dokumentarischen Theater" ("Notes on the Contemporary Theater." In: ''Essays on German Theater''. New York: Continuum, 1985. 294–301.) * 1969 '' 'Limited Bombing' in Vietnam'' (Report on the attacks against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam by the US Air Force, after the declaration of 'limited bombing' by President Lyndon B. Johnson on March 31 1968. With Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss. Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation.) * 1970 ''Rekonvaleszenz'' * 1971 ''Rapporte 2'' (Collected essays) * 1981 ''Notizbücher 1971–1980'' (Notebooks 1971–1980, 2 vols.) * 1982 ''Notizbücher 1960–1971'' (Notebooks 1960–1972, 2 vols.)

Films

* 1952 ''Studie I (Uppvaknandet)'' Sweden, 16mm, 6min) * 1952 ''Studie II (Hallucinationer) / Study II (Hallucinations)'' (Sweden, 16mm, 6min) * 1953 ''Studie III / Study III'' (Sweden, 16mm, 6min) * 1954 ''Studie IV (Frigörelse) / Study IV (Liberation)'', (Sweden, 16mm, 9min) * 1955 ''Studie V (Växelspel)/Study V (Interplay)'',(Sweden, 16mm, 9min) * 1956 ''Ateljeinteriör / Dr. Fausts Studierstube(Atelierinterieur)'' (Sweden, 10 min) * 1956 ''Ansikten I Skugga / Faces in the shadow'' (Sweden, 13 min) * 1957 ''Enligt Lag / According To Law'' (co-dir. Hans Nordenström, Sweden, 16mm, 18 min) * 1958 ''Vad ska vi göra nu da? / Was machen wir jetzt?'' (Sweden, 20min) * 1959 ''Hägringen / Fata Morgana'' (Sweden, 81min) Starring: Staffan Lamm and Gunilla Palmstierna. * 1961 ''Svenska flickor i Paris'' / ''Swedish Girls in Paris'' (co-director)

Published correspondence

* 1992 ''Peter Weiss. Briefe an Hermann Levin Goldschmidt, Hermann Lewin Goldschmidt und

Robert Jungk Robert Jungk (; born ''Robert Baum'', also known as ''Robert Baum-Jungk''; 11 May 1913 – 14 July 1994) was an Austrian writer, journalist, historian and peace campaigner. He wrote mostly on matters relating to nuclear weapons. Life Jungk was ...

1938–1980''. Leipzig: Reclam. * 2007 ''Siegfried Unseld, Peter Weiss: Der Briefwechsel''. Hrsg. von Rainer Gerlach. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. * 2009 ''

, Peter Weiss. "Verehrter großer Zauberer" – Briefwechsel 1937–1962''. Hrsg. von Beat Mazenauer und Volker Michels. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. * 2010 ''Diesseits und jenseits der Grenze. Peter Weiss – Manfred Haiduk. Der Briefwechsel 1965–1982''. Hrsg. von Rainer Gerlach und Jürgen Schutte. St. Ingbert: Röhrig. * 2011 ''Peter Weiss – Briefe an Henriette Itta Blumenthal.'' Hrsg. von Angela Abmeier und Hannes Bajohr. Berlin: Matthes und Seitz.

Interviews

* Alvarez, A., "The Truths That are Uttered in a Madhouse." ''The New York Times'', 26 December 1965, Section X, p. 3, 14. * Clausen, Oliver, "Weiss/Propagandist and Weiss/Playwright." ''The New York Times Magazine,'' 2 October 1966, pp. 28–29, 124–34. * Gray, Paul, "A Living World: An Interview with Peter Weiss." ''Tulane Drama Review'' 11.1 (1966). * Roloff, Michael, "An Interview with Peter Weiss." ''Partisan Review'' 32/1965, 220–32. * Shepard, Richard F., "Peter Weiss, Visiting Here, Talks About his Auschwitz Trial Play." ''The New York Times'', 22 April 1966, S. 30. * Wager, Walter, "Peter Weiss", in: Wager (ed.), ''The Playwrights Speak'', New York, Delacorte 1967, 189–212.

References

External links

*
''Marat/Sade''
at the '' complete review''
''Inferno''
at the '' complete review''
''The Investigation''
at the '' complete review'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Peter 1916 births 1982 deaths Jewish German writers Jewish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Swedish dramatists and playwrights Swedish male dramatists and playwrights Swedish communists Heinrich Mann Prize winners Tony Award winners Anti–Vietnam War activists Georg Büchner Prize winners German Christians German people of Hungarian-Jewish descent German people of Swiss descent Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Sweden German expatriates in the Czech Republic Naturalized citizens of Sweden Writers from the Province of Brandenburg Writers from Potsdam 20th-century German dramatists and playwrights German male dramatists and playwrights Postmodern theatre