Kleist Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1913) Winner
Oskar Loerke
オスカー・レーアケ
Oskar Loerke
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1884-03-13 （Jungen (Wiąg), near Świecie, West Prussia）
- Died
- 1941-02-24 （Frohnau, Berlin, Germany） age 56
- Nationality
- German
- Languages
- German
- Residence History
- Jungen (birthplace) → Berlin (main base of activity; lived in Frohnau) → Italy (travel) → Algiers (travel)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, prose writer, literary critic, essayist, editor
- Active Years
- 1907-1941
- Affiliations
- S. Fischer Verlag (editor), Prussian Academy of Arts (member; secretary of poetry division), Donnerstags-Gesellschaft (Thursday Society, member)
- Memberships
- Prussian Academy of Arts, Donnerstags-Gesellschaft (Thursday Society)
- Influenced By
- Johann Sebastian Bach (musical influence), Max Herrmann-Neiße, Walter Rheiner, Expressionism (literary movement)
- Influenced
- Hermann Kasack (published Loerke's posthumous works), Subsequent nature poets and the 'natural magic' school
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University in Berlin (studied history, German, philosophy and music) | — | History, German studies, Philosophy, Music | — | 1903–1906 | Germany |
University in Berlin (studied history, German, philosophy and music)
History, German studies, Philosophy, Music
Period:
1903–1906
Country:
Germany
Left studies in 1906
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Kleist Prize | — | — | Kleist Prize committee | 受賞 |
Kleist Prize
1913
Organization:
Kleist Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Wanderschaft (contains 'Blauer Abend in Berlin')
1911 poetryAn early volume of poetry including poems on urban and natural themes; contains the notable poem 'Blauer Abend in Berlin'.
naturethe citysensory experience
Gedichte (later published as Pansmusik)
1916 poetryA collection combining musical elements with formally strict verse; republished in 1929 under the title Pansmusik.
musicalityformal strictnessmythic imagery
Der Silberdistelwald
1934 poetryOne of his major 1930s collections, considered a key work of the 'natural magic' approach linking nature and magical perception.
naturemagical perceptionmyth
Der Wald der Welt
1936 poetryA collection exploring the relationship between world and nature poetically, containing themes associated with inner emigration.
natureworldviewinner emigration
Der Steinpfad
1941 poetryOriginally circulated in manuscript in 1938 and formally published in 1941; an important late collection.
later lifenaturerecollection
Bibliography
- Wanderschaft (1911)
- Gedichte (1916; 1929 edition titled Pansmusik)
- Die heimliche Stadt (1921)
- Der längste Tag (1926)
- Atem der Erde. Sieben Gedichtkreise (1930)
- Der Silberdistelwald (1934)
- Der Wald der Welt (1936)
- Magische Verse (1938; edited/introduced by Peter Suhrkamp)
- Kärntner Sommer (1939; manuscript, few copies)
- Der Steinpfad (1941)
- Die Abschiedshand (1949; posthumous)
- Short stories: Vineta (1907), Franz Pfinz (1909), etc.
- Essays: Wandlungen eines Gedankens über die Musik und ihren Gegenstand (1922), etc.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- formally strict verseintense imagerymusical dictionmythic and symbolic language
- Recurring Motifs
- forests and treesbirds and natural creaturesmagical and mythic elementsmusic and instrumental metaphors
Health
-
heart failure1941（死因）Died of heart failure in 1941; his creative activity ended that year.
Legacy
Oskar Loerke is known for nature poetry that combines formal strictness, musicality and mythic imagery. Regarded as a leading figure of the 'natural magic' school and a writer associated with inner emigration, his posthumous reputation was sustained by friends such as Hermann Kasack. In recent years his grave and its honorary status have attracted public debate.
Museums
- Schiller National Museum (Marbach am Neckar) Marbach am Neckar, Germany
Academic Societies
- Prussian Academy of Arts
Archives
- Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach holdings
In Popular Culture
- Public debate and coverage over the honorary grave (Ehrengrab) status in Berlin
Trivia
- Won the Kleist Prize in 1913 and used the prize money to travel to Italy and Algiers.
- Although opposed to Nazism, he signed the 1933 pledge of loyalty to Hitler, reportedly to protect his Jewish publisher Samuel von Fischer.
- Was expelled from the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1933 but subsequently reinstated in a purged academy structure.
- Died of heart failure in Frohnau in 1941; his grave was maintained as an honorary grave in Berlin and its maintenance was extended after public debate in 2021.