Kleist Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (1920) Winner
Hans Henny Jahnn
ハンス・ヘンニー・ヤーン
Hans Henny Jahnn
Pen Names:
Hans Henny August Jahn（birth name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1894-12-17 （Stellingen, Hamburg, Germany）
- Died
- 1959-11-29 （Nienstedten, Hamburg, Germany） age 64
- Nationality
- Germany
- Languages
- German
- Residence History
- Hamburg (birthplace and main base) → Norway (exile to avoid military service, 1914–1918) → Zurich (exile during Nazi period) → Bornholm (stay during Nazi period)
Career
- Occupations
- playwright, novelist, organ-builder, music publisher
- Active Years
- 1919-1959
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Pauli Realschule | — | — | — | ～1913（中等教育） | Germany |
St. Pauli Realschule
Period:
～1913（中等教育）
Country:
Germany
Attended secondary school. Records of tertiary education are unclear.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Kleist Prize | — | — | Kleist Prize committee | 受賞 |
Kleist Prize
Organization:
Kleist Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Perrudja
1929 novelA 1929 novel featuring mystical and transgressive interpersonal and sexual themes; elements recur in his later short stories and novels.
sexualitytransgressioninterpersonal relationships
Translations
- English translation (partial translations exist)
Fluß ohne Ufer (River Without Banks)
1949 novel (three parts)A three-part major work spanning motifs and characters across decades; contains unfinished and fragmentary elements.
deathlossidentity
Translations
- English translations (parts translated)
The Night of Lead
1956 novellaA 1956 novella with bleak, symbolic depictions exploring death and alienation.
deathalienationsymbolism
Translations
- Translated by Malcolm Green (1994)
Pastor Ephraim Magnus
1919 play (Expressionist)A 1919 play described as nihilistic and filled with perverse motifs; an expressionist drama.
nihilismperversionreligious symbolism
Adaptations
- [theatre] Pastor Ephraim Magnus / 複数の演出あり
Bibliography
- Perrudja (1929)
- Fluß ohne Ufer. Novel in Three Parts (1949–1961)
- The Ship (Das Holzschiff) (1949)
- Die Niederschrift des Gustav Anias Horn (1949/50)
- Epilogue (posthumous, 1961)
- Thirteen Uncanny Stories (1954)
- The Night of Lead (1956)
- Ugrino und Ingrabanien (1968, unfinished)
- Jeden ereilt es (1968, unfinished)
- Numerous plays (including Pastor Ephraim Magnus)
Adaptations
- Erwin Piscator staged Jahnn's Der staubige Regenbogen (The Dusty Rainbow) in 1961
- Gustaf Gründgens staged Thomas Chatterton (1956)
Translations of Works
- The Night of Lead (English translation by Malcolm Green, 1994)
- River Without Banks (partial English translations)
- Thirteen Uncanny Stories (English translations by Gerda Jordan, 1984)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Expressionistsymbolic and allegoricaldark and perverse imagery
- Recurring Motifs
- deathsexual perversionreligious symbolismloss and solitude
Legacy
Hans Henny Jahnn is known for his provocative expressionist style and works addressing homosexuality and bisexuality. As a playwright and novelist he was influential from the interwar to postwar period and was recognized with awards such as the Kleist Prize. His exile during the Nazi era and unconventional life provoked both acclaim and controversy.
Archives
- Clippings about Hans Henny Jahnn in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
Trivia
- Fled to Norway with a friend to avoid conscription for World War I.
- His bisexuality and personal relationships influenced his work and reception.
- Also active as an organ-builder and a publisher of 17th-century organ music.