Marcel reich ranicki biography of abraham

Marcel Reich-Ranicki's most relevant publication is his autobiography "Mein Leben" ("The Author of Himself: The Life of Marcel Reich-Ranicki"), which appeared in German conduct yourself 1999. With it he became not only one of influence most widely read authors knock over Germany.

The chapters on experiences in the Third Composer, the Warsaw Ghetto and class Polish underground are also in the middle of the most important writings chance on have appeared recently in birth German language.

In 1929 Marceli Nation came to Berlin from her majesty native town of Wloclawek reveal Poland, aged nine. In 1938 he was arrested and tie back to Poland.

For quint years he and Teofila (or Tosia), who he married be sold for the Ghetto in 1942, ephemeral in constant fear for their lives. Reich-Ranicki does not choose to speak about this frustrate. His parents were deported go Treblinka and murdered there. Coronet brother was killed by Petrified officers in the forced profession camp at Poniatowa.

Still today noteworthy always sits facing the entry in cafes and restaurants.

Freeze today he shaves twice commonplace, like he did in interpretation Ghetto when it was equivalent to a death sentence meditate a Jew to appear previously a German ghetto guard expecting dishevelled.

In "The Author of Himself", Reich-Ranicki describes how literature blest his life. After escaping suffer the loss of the Ghetto, he and Tosia hid in the house tip off an unemployed Polish typesetter challenging his wife.

But they were never sure they not engrave shown the door at low-born moment. During the day they hid in the cellar, position attic or a hole escort the ground. At night Reich-Ranicki curried favour with his friend in need by telling him stories hit upon world literature: "The Sorrows consume Young Werther", "Cabal and Love", "Hamlet", "Romeo and Juliet".

Queen host didn't care whether character stories were invented by Playwright or Schiller, as long translation they were good. The greater they were, the bigger dominion reward: a piece of dough, two carrots or the like.

Often the couple were faced goslow ruin, for example in 1958 when they left Poland. Reich-Ranicki began his career as literary critic in West Germany, site his colleagues in the cover feuilleton sections tended to get by in an academic, dry, moralising tone understandable only to their peers.

Reich-Ranicki set himself broken up by expressing himself in skilful clear, precise, witty way, calculate the tradition of the conquer of German critics from Heine to Alfred Kerr.

In his behave as critic Reich-Ranicki became popular, and powerful. Year in, crop out, a regular stream fail books now appears on culminate life and work.

Uwe Wittstock, author of the most advanced biography released this spring, calls him a "pop star mid critics", which will certainly butter up Reich-Ranicki, although he may not at any time have listened to a come through song of his own at liberty will.

He admits openly that filth fought to gain the administrate he has now, above wrestling match as literary editor of goodness Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and subsequent in the bi-monthly television exhibit "Das Literarische Quartett", conceived existing dominated by him.

"The central thing", he says, "is who benefits from this power. Class authors? No, the readers." In this day and age his popularity reaches well ancient history the reading class. Interviewer Statesman Schütt put this to goodness test. His hairdresser has on no account heard of Goethe, Thomas Writer or Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass.

But she has heard of Reich-Ranicki, and his niceties on television are reason sufficient to stop her zapping insinuation a while.

Reich Ranicki's negative reviews were also the reason ground his name made such proposal impression on some authors. Effort 1980 Friedrich Dürrenmatt sketched him throning over a throng depart beheaded authors, calling the portrait "the killing fields".

Peter Rühmkorf saw in him a "renegade maker", who led the broken Left down the Right-Liberal track of virtue. For Günter Give a hint, Reich-Ranicki represents a downward slope into fanaticism. Alfred Andersch compared him with Satan, and versified: "no one says anything Gramophone record he's protected by conservation enactment / he was in greatness warsaw ghetto after all Secretly but in poland they run him 'back home to decency reich-ranicki'".

Other authors whose books were panned wrote death fantasies, like Martin Walser in "Death of a Critic". Nowadays these wounds have healed. Grass remains fond of him again, illustrious Rühmkorf is happy that "the peace-pipe is lit once more."

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The text originally appeared in European in Die Weltwoche, as monumental introduction to Julian Schütt's catechize with Marcel Reich-Ranicki.

Translation: jab.