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Franz Werfel
Life Time
10 September 1890 - 26 August 1945
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Born in 1890 in Prague, in the family of a merchant. In 1915-1917 he served in the Austrian army, then took an active part in the revolutionary events of 1918. He spent his youth and maturity in Prague. In the 1910s, Werfel was one of the pioneers of expressionism in German literature. Contemporaries were strongly impressed by the dramatic trilogy “Man from the Mirror” (1920) and collections of poems “Friend of Humanity” (1911), “We” (1913). His early stories, written in the genre of essays, fantasies
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Born in 1890 in Prague, in the family of a merchant. In 1915-1917 he served in the Austrian army, then took an active part in the revolutionary events of 1918. He spent his youth and maturity in Prague. In the 1910s, Werfel was one of the pioneers of expressionism in German literature. Contemporaries were strongly impressed by the dramatic trilogy “Man from the Mirror” (1920) and collections of poems “Friend of Humanity” (1911), “We” (1913). His early stories, written in the genre of essays, fantasies and dreams, influenced the work of Franz Kafka. Werfel himself was deeply influenced by the works of his older contemporary Gustav Meyrink. In the circle of compatriot writers, Werfel stands out for his lyrical penetrance, as well as his sensitivity to the universal human, to Christian culture and Catholicism, and his belief in a good beginning in man.
During the Second World War, Werfel lived in France, hiding from the occupiers in the church of St. Bernadette. In fulfillment of his vow, in gratitude for his salvation, in 1941 he wrote the novel “Song of Bernadette”. Werfel subsequently emigrated to the United States. Other novels written by him - "Classmates" (1928), "Brigitte, or piety", "Star of the unborn" (1945).