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Ernst Lissauer Collection

 Collection
Identifier: AR 25209

Scope and Contents

The Ernst Lissauer Collection contains Lissauer's literary estate and shows that he was more than only the writer of the Hassgesang gegen Engand, his most famous poem.

The first series consists of Lissauer's diaries, which are with a few exceptions complete for the years 1905 to 1937 and provide a detailed insight into his life.

The bulk of the collection consists of Lissauer's writings, both his drafts and manuscripts as well as his published works. He wrote poems, essays, plays, and reviews. His writings deal with a very diverse range of topics, such as religion, patriotism, literature, music, and theater. He also wrote extensively about a wide range of individuals such as Martin Luther, Otto von Bismarck or Johann W. Goethe. Included are also his reviews of other contemporary writers as well as reviews of his own writings.

The collection also contains Lissauer's correspondence. A separate section is devoted to Heinrich Meyer-Benfey, a lifelong friend of Lissauer's. It contains over 100 letters and cards written by Lissauer to Meyer-Benfey between 1908 and 1937. Many of these letters elaborate on problems important to the writer and relevant to the era. A small section of correspondence relates to Margarete Lissauer's attempts to publish her late husband's works.

There are also a few personal items in this collection, such as autobiographical notes, obituaries, and a family tree.

Dates

  • Creation: 1896-1960

Creator

Language of Materials

The collection is in German, except for one obituary in Dutch in Series V.5.

Access Restrictions

Open to researchers.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:

Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY, 10011



email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org

Biographical Note

Ernst Lissauer was born in Berlin on December 10, 1882. His father, Hugo Lissauer (1843-1910) was a merchant in the silk trade and also became city counselor for Charlottenburg. He was also one of the founders of the Berliner Reformgemeinde. Ernst Lissauer's mother was Zerline Wohl, neé Friedeberger. She was the second wife of Hugo Lissauer. Ernst Lissauer was their only son, but Hugo had three children from his first marriage.

Ernst Lissauer attended the Friedrich Werdersche Gymnasium from 1898-1901. After receiving his diploma, studied literature in Berlin, Leipzig and Munich until 1905. In 1907, his first collection of poetry Der Acker was published; another collection of poety, Der Strom, followed in 1912. His most famous poem was Hassgesang gegen England, which he wrote in 1914 at the beginning of World War I. He served as a volunteer in the war and edited the German sections of the Feldwochenschrift, which was published in German and Hungarian from 1917 to 1918. At the end of the war he was transferred to Berlin, where he worked in the media department of the Kriegsministerium (Ministry of War). Starting in 1919, Lissauer also wrote plays. His biggest success was the comedy Gewalt, which was performed for the first time in Frankfurt in 1924. In 1920, his first wife Marie Willfuhr, whom he had married in 1911, was committed to a mental institution; she died in 1924. In 1923, Lissauer moved to Vienna, where he stayed for the rest of his life. In 1929, he married Margarete (Grete) Langner, who had become his secretary in 1913. Starting in 1933, Lissauer was no longer allowed to publish in Germany. His last collection of poems was published in Vienna in 1936. He died on December 10, 1937 from pneumonia and is buried on the Jewish cemetery in Vienna.

Extent

8 Linear Feet

Abstract

This collection documents the life of the writer Ernst Lissauer (1882-1937). He is primarily known for his poem Hassgesang gegen England, but this collection also contains his other poetry, as well as his essays, plays, and reviews. His writings deal with a very diverse range of topics, such as religion, patriotism, literature, music, and theater. In addition, the collection holds a substantial amount of correspondence, writings by others about Ernst Lissauer and his work, and a few personal items and photographs.

Microfilm

This collection has fifteen reels of microfilm.

  1. Reel 1: 1/1-1/17
  2. Reel 2: 1/18-1/31
  3. Reel 3: 2/1-2/7
  4. Reel 4: 2/8-2/20
  5. Reel 5: 2/21-3/11
  6. Reel 6: 3/12-4/12
  7. Reel 7: 4/13-4/21
  8. Reel 8: 4/22-5/6
  9. Reel 9: 5/7-5/17
  10. Reel 10: 5/18-5/21
  11. Reel 11: 6/1-6/21
  12. Reel 12: 6/22-7/8
  13. Reel 13: 7/9-8/2
  14. Reel 14: 8/3-8/12
  15. Reel 15: 8/13-8/32

Separated Material

Several photographs were removed from the collection and placed in the Photograph Collection. Copies are available in Series V.

Processing Information

This collection was reprocessed by Julia Noack in January-March 2005 to reflect an arrangement including the use of series, as well as to include further description of the contents of the collection.

Title
Guide to the Papers of the Ernst Lissauer (1882-1937), 1722-1967 AR 25209 / MF 700
Author
Processed by Julia Noack
Date
© 2005
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.

Revision Statements

  • 2010-05-07 : encoding of linking to digital objects from finding aid was changed from <extref> to <dao> through dao_conv.xsl

Repository Details

Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository

Contact:
15 West 16th Street
New York NY 10011 United States