Georg Büchner Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 26 (1950) Winner
Elisabeth Langgässer
エリザベート・ラングゲッサー
Elisabeth Langgaesser
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1899-02-23 （Alzey, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire）
- Died
- 1950-07-25 （Karlsruhe, West Germany） age 51
- Nationality
- German
- Languages
- German
- Religion
- Roman Catholic
- Residence History
- Alzey (birthplace) → Darmstadt (education) → Berlin (from 1929, professional/literary activity) → Karlsruhe (place of death)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Poet, Teacher, Journalist
- Active Years
- 1924-1950
- Affiliations
- Member of the Reich Chamber of Literature (Reichsschrifttumskammer) (1930s), Association of Science and Literature in Mainz
- Memberships
- Reich Chamber of Literature (Reichsschrifttumskammer), Association of Science and Literature in Mainz
- Influenced By
- Paul Claudel, Georges Bernanos, Wilhelm Lehmann
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viktoriaschule (Darmstadt) | — | Teacher training / girls' school curriculum | — | 1910年代（詳細不明） | Germany |
Viktoriaschule (Darmstadt)
Teacher training / girls' school curriculum
Period:
1910年代（詳細不明）
Country:
Germany
After graduating from Viktoriaschule she undertook one year of teacher training and taught at Hessian elementary schools from 1920.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Literary Prize of the German Citizens' Association | — | — | German Citizens' Association | 受賞 |
| 1950 | Georg Büchner Prize | for her overall literary achievement | — | Georg Büchner Prize committee | 死後授与 |
Literary Prize of the German Citizens' Association
1931
Organization:
German Citizens' Association
Result:
受賞
Georg Büchner Prize
1950
Work:
for her overall literary achievement
Organization:
Georg Büchner Prize committee
Result:
死後授与
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Der Wendekreis des Lammes (The Tropic of the Lamb)
1924 PoetryEarly cycle of poems exploring nature and themes of Christian redemption; formative for her later religious poetry.
naturereligious redemptionloss and regeneration
Proserpina
1932 Narrative / novellaA 'childhood myth' with autobiographical elements, interweaving childhood memories and myth to depict cycles of growth and decay.
mythchildhoodfemale fate
Der Gang durch das Ried (The Walk Through the Ried)
1936 NovelA novel linking themes of memory loss and redemption; the protagonist Aladin seeks identity and finds meaning through acts of love and care.
memoryredemptionidentity
Das unauslöschliche Siegel (The Indelible Seal)
1946 NovelA novel centered on baptism and faith as means of salvation; structured as a history-of-salvation narrative confronting human fallenness and divine grace.
religionbaptismsalvation
Der Torso
1947 Short story collectionA collection of short stories reflecting wartime and postwar experiences; includes pieces such as 'Saisonbeginn' that confront persecution and the scars of war.
war and persecutionforgivenesseveryday violence
Bibliography
- Der Wendekreis des Lammes (Poems), 1924
- Proserpina, 1932
- Triptychon des Teufels (Triptych of the Devil), 1932
- Die Tierkreisgedichte (The Zodiac Poems), 1935
- Der Gang durch das Ried, 1936
- Rettung am Rhein. Drei Schicksalsläufe, 1938
- Das unauslöschliche Siegel, 1946
- Der Laubmann und die Rose, 1947
- Der Torso, 1947
- Das Labyrinth, 1949
- Märkische Argonautenfahrt, 1950
- Collected Works (5 vols), 1959–1964 (posthumous)
Translations of Works
- Some works have been translated into English and other languages; comprehensive translation data varies by source.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical, symbolist 'nature magic' (Naturmagie) styledevelopment of a 'Christian mystery poem' formallegorical and symbolic prose style
- Recurring Motifs
- nature and its chthonic forcesredemption and divine gracemythic figures and seasonal cyclesmemory and search for identity
Health
-
Multiple sclerosis1940年代後半〜1950（死去まで）Her health deteriorated in the late 1940s due to multiple sclerosis, significantly affecting her work and life; she died in 1950.
Legacy
Langgässer created a unique literary world blending nature poetry and Christian themes and became an important postwar German literary voice. Her short stories addressing persecution and wartime experiences are significant in postwar literary education. The city of Alzey established a literature prize in her name.
Academic Societies
- Association of Science and Literature in Mainz
Archives
- Holdings in the German National Library and other archives
- Publication of her letters edited by her husband (1954) and later editions by descendants
In Popular Culture
- The Langgässer bench in Alzey and commemorative local events
- Elisabeth Langgässer Literature Prize (awarded by the city of Alzey every three years since 1988)
Quotes
-
“My great novels are not written in prose at all, but rather in a suspended rhythm.”
Source: Letter to Wilhelm Lehmann, 1947 (1947)
Trivia
- Her daughter Cordelia, considered Jewish under Nazi law, was deported to concentration camps but later returned after an exchange to Sweden.
- She was posthumously awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1950.
- The city of Alzey awards the Elisabeth Langgässer Literature Prize every three years since 1988.