Literature – professional revolutionary and fairy tale meter

Not a date of birth that is annoying, not a round day of death-how can you commemorate a writer’s couple, and two authors from the profitable shelves? By adding the literary half -year magazine “Signum” before it herself disappears on the horizon, a special issue: Lisa Tetzner and Kurt Kläber. The latter may have remembered Germanists because of the once sensational novel »Passengers of III. Class «, published in 1927. But he also leads a double life with his pseudonym Kurt Held, and you don’t really know who should give more weight.

The title of the booklet “Märchentchächt & Rebell” hits the characteristics of the portrayed, but not extensive. Jens Wollenberger, a regular author of “Signum”, wrote a brilliant entrance. The white spots in literary history are the hunting area for enthusiasts who want to nail the canon to the barn door. Norbert Weiß, long -time editor of the magazine, gives an insight into the biography. The couple’s first encounter in 1919 in Lauscha in Thuringia already says a lot about his mentality. He, after the apprenticeship of locksmiths, front use, a hiking bird, as a moving bookseller, “professional revolutionary”, he introduces himself to bringing poems and pamphlet to people. You, the home -style girls’ pension, travel from village to village to tell fairy tales.

I’m sorry, what? Did that ever exist, a fairy tale meter? And whether, very professional. Lisa Tetzner took courses in language education and voice training at Max Reinhardt’s acting school, studied lecture art. “Counting of fairy tale in the people” was then called her first book in which she described her experiences. She wrote magical stories, reports, autobiographical prose like “The walk to life”, which was difficult enough for her, because she suffered from bone tuberculosis and lag. She published more than a dozen fairy tale books at Diederich’s publisher, her reputation had such a good reverb that the children’s studio of the Berlin radio was entrusted to her. What got her and her husband (they had married in 1924) when Kurt Kläber was arrested after the Reichstag fire in 1933, on February 28; She reached his release from Hermann Göring, who knew the programs.

Kurt Kläber was a member of the KPD, a hardworking agitator, editor of the magazine “Left-Burve”, he headed the cultural policy department in the Karl-Liebknecht-Haus, the headquarters of the Cultural Policy Department. (Later he separated from the party because of Stalinism.) His and soon Tetzner’s writings were banned. They had to emigrate and land in beautiful Canova over Lake Lugano. A new creative period adapted to the barren living conditions began here. Lisa Tetzner wrote her main work: “Experiences and adventures of the children from No. 67”. Nine volumes that have been translated into several languages. The Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (“Pippi Longstock”), which was still controversial at the time, has taken this “Odyssey of a youth”; She thanked Tetzner in a touching letter.

Cliché -free and multi -layered, Lisa Tetzner described the story of two boys from the Berlin back house over the years 1931 to 1945. A wide -ranging social picture. The question of guilty of irregular young fascos is also dealt with. “It is noteworthy with what deep psychological understanding the writer follows her protagonist,” sums up the Dresden author Uta Hauthal. Excitement and enlightening style meet claims that also place adults in good literature.

The conditions to survive the National Socialist tribulation in exile were anything but rosy. Kurt Kläber was prohibited from “disabilities”, the Swiss counterpart that we call deportation today. He suffered from the ban on a profession, helped his wife put on her manuscripts, two volumes of socially critical prose appeared under her name. When he had completed “the Red Zora and her gang”, he decided to publish the history of the revolting street children under the pseudonym Kurt Held. The sales were initially low, but after the war the novel became a world success and filmed. The love and creative couple in Carona in Ticino were able to build the much praised Casa Pantrova. “Barricades on the Ruhr” (1925), to which Thomas Mann wrote an expert opinion, was reissued. Further “stories for the youth” were created, including his favorite book “The drummer of Faido”, which addresses the struggle for freedom.

Kurt Kläber and Lisa Tetzner conducted an open house in Carona. Hermann Hesse visited her and Bert Brecht. Confident friends describe the stimulating atmosphere in the (now 20th) special issue of the magazine “Signum”. It is more than unfortunate that the “Leaves for Literature and Criticism”, founded in Dresden in 1999. The general circumstances are stressful, funding has been shortened. The ceiling becomes thinner. Recently, »ND« (p. April 11, 2025) gave an insight into the segment: renowned magazines such as »writing booklet« and »The Horel« are devoted to big names of the past and foreign countries, the Leipziger »Edit« prefers experimental literature. What is not only missing in Saxony is a wide readers’ appeal for new talents.

»Signum. Special issue Märchent subsidiary & Rebell «, 106 pages, Br., € 8.20; to be obtained from mnweiss@t-online.de or
www.zeitschrift-signum.de.

Excitement and educational style belong to good literature for children as well as for adults.

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