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Werner Keller

ヴェルナー・ケラー

Weruneru Keraa

Pen Names: Norman Alken（Pseudonym used in some articles and publications）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1909-08-13 （Gut Nutha, Anhalt, Germany）
Died
1980-02-29 （Ascona, Switzerland） age 70
Nationality
German
Languages
German
Residence History
Berlin → Rostock → Zürich → Jena → Hamburg → Ascona (later years)

Career

Occupations
civil servant, journalist, nonfiction author, anti-Nazi resistance fighter
Active Years
1933-1980
Affiliations
Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR), Newspapers and magazines (Die Welt, Die Zeit, Stern, Neue Illustrierte, etc.)

Education

Humboldt University of Berlin
studies in engineering/medicine
Period: 不明
Country: Germany
Studied engineering and medicine; final degree in law (doctorate).
University of Rostock
studies
Period: 不明
Country: Germany
Attended as a student
University of Zurich
studies
Period: 不明
Country: Switzerland
Attended as a student
University of Jena
Jurisprudence / Law
Degree: 法学博士
Period: ～1933
Year of Graduation: 1933
Country: Germany
Received a doctorate in jurisprudence in 1933.

Awards

Premio Bancarella
1957
Work: The Bible as History
Organization: Premio Bancarella organization
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Bible as History

1955 Nonfiction / Popular science (archaeology & history)

A popular work correlating biblical text with archaeological findings in the Middle East, arguing for the historical credibility of the Bible independently of religious faith. It sold over one million copies in Germany and was translated into more than 20 languages.

archaeologyhistoricity of the Biblerelation of religion and science
Translations
  • English
  • Hebrew
  • Japanese

East Minus West Equals Zero

1962 Social history / polemical

A polemical work asserting that many of Russia's political, scientific, and cultural achievements from medieval times to the early Space Race originated in and were adopted from the West; it attracted attention in the Cold War West.

West vs. Russia comparisoncultural originshistorical debates during the Cold War
Translations
  • English

Works on the Etruscans

History / Archaeology

Studies and popular accounts dealing with the history and culture of the Etruscans.

ancient historylinguistics (Etruscan)archaeology

Bibliography

  • The Bible as History (1955)
  • East Minus West Equals Zero (1962)
  • Works on the Etruscans

Translations of Works

  • The Bible as History was translated into more than 20 languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, popular-expository stylepopular science approach presenting archaeological evidencepolemic tendencies (engaging Cold War-era political debates)
Recurring Motifs
correlating history and archaeologyemphasis on Western origins (argument of East Minus West)linking religious history with scientific verification

Legacy

Keller's works popularized the linking of biblical narratives with archaeological findings in postwar Germany and internationally, while also engaging in polemical Cold War debates. The Bible as History became a popular bestseller and made his name widely known.

Archives

  • Holdings at the German National Library (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek)

Trivia

  • He was sentenced to death by the Nazi People's Court but execution was postponed and he was liberated at the end of World War II.
  • Used the pseudonym 'Norman Alken'.
  • 'The Bible as History' sold over one million copies in Germany and was translated into more than 20 languages.
  • Died on the leap day 29 February 1980.