B. Traven (d. March 26, 1969) was an enigmatic novelist who wrote primarily in German, and who is probably most famous for having written the novel The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Der Schatz der Sierra Madre). This book was the basis for the John Huston movie of the same name, which starred Humphrey Bogart. Traven's other books were ignored for years in North America while they were being acclaimed internationally and translated into numerous languages. March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a black & white 1948 John Huston film in which two american down-and-outers (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) in 1920s Mexico (bothering director John Huston for money in a fun opening cameo) hook up with an old-timer (Walter Huston, the director... Statue of John Huston, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906–August 28, 1987) was an Irish film director and actor. ... Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (December 25, 1899 - January 14, 1957) was an iconic American actor who retains legendary status decades after his death. ...

Traven wrote many novels, including The Death Ship and the epic Jungle Novel series, which is a description of government corruption and an Indian uprising set at the birth of the Mexican Revolution. The Jungle Novels include Government, The Carreta, March to the Monteria, Trozas, The Rebellion of the Hanged, and The General from the Jungle. These bleak, violent books powerfully portray the human basis of the Mexican revolution. They are notable for their anti-capitalist and pro-communist sympathies. As of 2006, some works are still awaiting translation from German to English. Enigmatic B. Traven, the author of the Death Ship, also wrote the novel the Treasure of the Sierra Madre, later made into the award winning film of the same name. ... Mural by Diego Rivera at Palacio de Gobierno (Mexico City) The Mexican Revolution, sometimes called the Mexican Revolution of 1910, was a violent social and cultural movement, colored by socialist, nationalist, and anarchist tendencies, that began with the popular rejection of dictator Porfirio Díaz Mori in 1910 and continued...

Speculation

Like American authors Thomas Pynchon and JD Salinger, the reclusive Traven delighted in his personal anonymity and refused to grant interviews. Little is known about him; it is not even clear whether he was a native German or merely wrote in the language. It is clear from the descriptions in his novels that he lived and travelled extensively in Europe, the United States and Mexico. Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. ... Jerome David Salinger (born January 1, 1919) is an American author best known for The Catcher in the Rye, a classic coming-of-age story that has enjoyed enduring popularity since its publication in 1951. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ...

On the basis of their writing styles, it has been suggested that Traven was a pseudonym for the German anarchist Ret Marut, who published an underground magazine in the last years of the Weimar Republic. Another identity for Traven may have been "Traven's agent", the seemingly English Hal Croves who worked with director John Huston while he was shooting The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. In interviews about the movie, Humphrey Bogart's wife, Lauren Bacall, reported Huston had told her during filming that Croves was Traven, but Huston's wife at the time, Evelyn Keyes, later said he was skeptical of Croves. A dispute over a reduction in Croves' wages for his work on the film may have clouded the issue. Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ... The period of German history from 1919 to 1933 is known as the Weimar Republic (German Weimarer Republik, IPA: []). It is named after the city of Weimar where a national assembly convened to produce a new constitution after the German Monarchy and German Empire were abolished following the nations... Statue of John Huston, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906–August 28, 1987) was an Irish film director and actor. ... The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a black & white 1948 John Huston film in which two american down-and-outers (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) in 1920s Mexico (bothering director John Huston for money in a fun opening cameo) hook up with an old-timer (Walter Huston, the director... Lauren Bacall (born 16 September 1924) is an American film and stage actress and a former model. ... Evelyn Keyes (November 20, 1919) is an United States actress. ...

Traven's widow, Rosa Elena Lujàn, supported speculations about both psuedonyms in an interview published in 1990 in The New York Times. The Times reporter notes that the irrelevance of formal identity is a central theme of The Death Ship. Traven's widow said that Traven had something like ten identities and "loved to tangle things up." The story notes that the identity of "Ret Marut" can be traced back to 1907, and that neither Traven's widow nor anyone else really knows who he was before that. This article is about the year. ... The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. ... Enigmatic B. Traven, the author of the Death Ship, also wrote the novel the Treasure of the Sierra Madre, later made into the award winning film of the same name. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Most evidence points to Traven as German, but wild conjectures have been made as to his parentage. Some have suggested he might be the illegitimate son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, or Otto Feige, son of a German pottery worker from Schwiebus, Prussia. [1] The Encyclopedia Britannica states that he may have been born Berick Traven Torsvan in Chicago and that he grew up in Germany before settling in Mexico. The Penguin Encyclopedia, on the other hand, holds that he was born Albert Otto Max Frege in either Chicago or Poland. Wilhelm II of Prussia and Germany, Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Hohenzollern (January 27, 1859 - June 4, 1941) was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and the last King (König) of Prussia from 1888 - 1918. ... Świebodzin(German:Schwiebus) is a town in western Poland with 22,700 inhabitants (1995). ... 1913 advertisement for the 11th edition, with the slogan When in doubt - look it up in the Encyclopædia Britannica The Encyclopædia Britannica (properly spelt with æ, the ae-ligature) is the oldest English-language general encyclopedia. ...

A biographical graphic novel on the life of Arthur Cravan has been published by Dark Horse Comics. Written by the publisher, Mike Richardson, and illustrated by Rick Geary, "Cravan" puts forth the idea that Cravan and Traven might be one in the same. Arthur Cravan was a Dadaist, a pugilist, and an all around larger-than-life personality who disappeared somewhere in Mexico around 1920. Cravan, like Traven, employed dozens of pseudonyms out of necessity or preference. A graphic novel (GN) is a long-form comic book, usually with lengthy and complex storylines, and often aimed at more mature audiences. ... Arthur Cravan ( born May 22, 1887, Lausanne, last seen at Salina Cruz, Mexico in 1918 and most likely drowned in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico in November 1918), pugilist and poet, was a larger-than-life character, and an idol of the Dada and Surrealism movements. ... Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book publisher, one of the largest independent publishers behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC Comics. ... Michael Calvin Richardson (Mike) was a cornerback in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers. ... Rick Geary is an artist who is known primarily for his non-fiction comic book series, A Treasury of Victorian Murder. ... Dadaism or Dada is a post-World War I cultural movement in visual art as well as literature (mainly poetry), theatre and graphic design. ...

Books

• The Death Ship: the Story of an American Sailor (1926, First English pub. 1934) ISBN 1556521103
• The Wobbly (1926)
• Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1927, First English pub. 1935) ISBN 0809001608
• The Cotton Pickers ISBN 1566630754
• The Night Visitor and Other Stories ISBN 1566630398
• The Bridge in the Jungle (1929, First English pub. 1938) ISBN 1566630630
• The White Rose (1929)

Jungle Novels

• Government (1931) ISBN 156663038x
• The Carreta (1931) ISBN 1566630452
• March to the Monteria (1933) ISBN 1566630460
• Trozas (1936) ISBN 1566632196
• The Rebellion of the Hanged (1936, First English pub. 1952)ISBN 1566630649
• A General from the Jungle (1940) ISBN 1566630762

References

• "His Widow Reveals Much Of Who B. Traven Really Was," Larry Rohter, The New York Times, June 25, 1990, p. C13

June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ...

External links

• B. Traven, from Books and Writers
• B. Traven, from the Anarchist Encyclopedia
• B. Traven biography from Libcom.org/history
• Translations from Traven's "Macario"