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Leonhard Frank

レオンハルト・フランク

Reonharuto Furanku

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1882-09-04 （Würzburg）
Died
1961-08-18 （Munich） age 78
Nationality
German
Languages
German
Residence History
Würzburg (birth) → Munich (studies and activity) → Switzerland (exile 1915–1918; later exile) → London (temporary residence) → Paris (temporary residence) → United States (fled in 1940) → Munich (returned, later years)

Career

Occupations
writer, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, commercial artist / graphic artist
Active Years
1900-1952
Influenced By
Expressionist writers / movement, Socialist ideas
Influenced
20th-century German-language realist / socially engaged writers

Education

Art education institution in Munich (unspecified)
Painting and graphic art
Period: 不明
Country: Germany
Reported to have studied painting and graphic art in Munich; specific institution not confirmed here.

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Robber Band (Die Räuberbande)

1914 novel

Tells the story of rebellious boys who dream of dismantling an exploitative society but gradually become conformist adults; satirical realism on the bourgeoisie.

critique of bourgeois societyyouth rebellion and disillusionment
Adaptations
  • [film] Band of Thieves / Hans Behrendt (1928)
Translations
  • English translation (1928): The Robber Band

The Cause of the Crime (Die Ursache)

1915 novella / short novel

A scathing criticism of repressive educational systems and social structures.

critique of education systemssocial repression
Adaptations
  • [TV film] The Cause of the Crime / Michael Verhoeven (1980)

Man Is Good

1917 short story collection (pacifist stories)

A collection of pacifist short stories written during exile in Switzerland, denouncing war.

pacifismanti-war critique

A Middle-Class Man (Der Bürger)

1924 novel (semi-autobiographical elements)

Depicts bourgeois values and individual contradictions, reflecting the author's socialist perspective.

critique of bourgeoisieaspiration for social change

Carl and Anna (Karl und Anna)

1926 novella / novel

A realistic and striking story in which a soldier seduces his comrade's wife; regarded as one of the author's major works.

complicated human relationshipsmorality and desire
Adaptations
  • [film] Homecoming / Joe May (1928)
  • [film (Hollywood)] Desire Me (1947)
  • [film] The Woman and the Stranger / Rainer Simon (1985)
Translations
  • English translations (multiple editions)

Heart on the Left

1952 autobiographical novel

Autobiographical novel covering the interwar period, exile, and restarting life; published in Germany after WWII.

memoirexile and return

Bibliography

  • The Robber Band (1914)
  • The Cause of the Crime (1915)
  • Man Is Good (1917)
  • A Middle-Class Man (1924)
  • Carl and Anna (1926)
  • In the Last Coach (1925)
  • Heart on the Left (1952)

Adaptations

  • Homecoming (1928) directed by Joe May (based on Karl und Anna)
  • Band of Thieves (1928) directed by Hans Behrendt (based on Die Räuberbande)
  • Desire Me (1947) by MGM (based on Karl und Anna)
  • The Woman and the Stranger (1985) directed by Rainer Simon (based on Karl und Anna)

Translations of Works

  • The Robber Band — English translation (1928)
  • In the Last Coach — English translation (1935)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, austere proserealist style with elements of sensationalism
Recurring Motifs
damage inflicted by bourgeois society on the individualwar and pacifismmorality vs. desireyouthful rebellion and compromise

Legacy

Leonhard Frank is known for his expressionist and socially critical works and is regarded as a realist/socially engaged writer of interwar German literature. His works were banned and burned by the Nazis, forcing him into exile; he was later re-evaluated after WWII. Many of his works were adapted for film.

Archives

  • Project Gutenberg (works collection)
  • Internet Archive (works and materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Multiple film adaptations (1928, 1947, 1985, etc.)

Quotes

  • He used a concise and austere prose style effectively to emphasize the damage inflicted by bourgeois society on the individual spirit.
    Source: Encyclopædia Britannica (retrieved 2013) (2013)

Trivia

  • His books were banned and burned by the Nazis in 1933.
  • He went into exile in Switzerland from 1915–1918 and wrote pacifist short stories during that period.
  • Karl und Anna was adapted by MGM into the Hollywood film Desire Me (1947).