Franz Werfel, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1940

Werfel's grave in the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna

Franz Werfel (September 10, 1890 – August 26, 1945) was an Austrian-Bohemian novelist, playwright, and poet who wrote in German. Franz Werfel photographed by Carl Van Vechten, December 14, 1940 From the collection of the Library of Congress and in the public domain: http://memory. ... Franz Werfel photographed by Carl Van Vechten, December 14, 1940 From the collection of the Library of Congress and in the public domain: http://memory. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1500 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1500 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Exterior of the Dr. Karl Lueger-Gedächtniskirche, Zentralfriedhof, Vienna. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (239th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Bohemians, or gypsies, are inhabitants of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Romeo and Juliet by Ford Madox Brown A play, written by a playwright, or dramatist, is a form of literature, almost always consisting of dialog between characters, and intended for performance rather than reading. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ...

Biography

Born in Prague (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), he was a contemporary and colleague of Franz Kafka, Max Brod, Martin Buber, and other Jewish intellectuals who flourished in the first decades of the 20th century. He served in the Austro-Hungarian army on the Russian front and in the press office in Vienna, where he met and fell in love with Alma Mahler. Nickname: City of a Hundred Spires Motto: Praga Caput Rei publicae Location within the Czech Republic Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region Capital City of Prague Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Pavel Bém Area  - City 496 km²  (191. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Kafka at the age of five Franz Kafka (IPA: ) (July 3, 1883 – June 3, 1924) was one of the major German-language fiction writers of the 20th century. ... Max Brod Max Brod (May 27, 1884 – December 20, 1968) was a German-speaking Jewish author, composer, and journalist. ... Martin Buber (8 February 1878 – 13 June 1965) was an Austrian-Jewish philosopher, translator, and educator, whose work centered on theistic ideals of religious consciousness, interpersonal relations, and community. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. ... Combatants German Empire Austria-Hungary Russian Empire Romania Commanders Paul von Hindenburg Erich Ludendorff Conrad von Hötzendorf Nikolay II Grand Duke Nicholas Constantin Prezan The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. ...

In 1920 Alma (Schindler) Mahler, widow of Gustav Mahler, divorced architect Walter Gropius in order to be with Werfel, and they lived together in partnership from that point on; they finally married in 1929. Werfel was already an established author, but his true claim to international fame came in 1933, when he published The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, a chilling novel which first drew world attention to the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Turks. Alma Mahler Alma Maria Mahler (August 31, 1879 – December 11, 1964), noted in her native Vienna for her beauty and intelligence, was the wife, successively, of one of the centurys leading composers (Gustav Mahler), architects (Walter Gropius), and novelists (Franz Werfel). ... This article cites its sources but does not provide page references. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (May 18, 1883 – July 5, 1969) was a German architect and founder of Bauhaus. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Musa Mountain and Vakıflı village, near Antakya, in Hatay, Turkey. ... Armenian Genocide photo. ...

An identified Jew, Werfel fled Austria after the Anschluss in 1938 and went to France. With the German invasion and occupation of France during World War II, and the deportation of Jews to the Nazis concentration camps, Franz Werfel had to flee the country. With the assistance of Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseille, he and his wife narrowly escaped the Nazi regime, fleeing to the United States. German troops march into Austria on 12 March 1938. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... A concentration camp is a large detention centre created for political opponents, aliens, specific ethnic or religious groups, civilians of a critical war-zone, or other groups of people, often during a war. ... Varian Mackey Fry (October 15, 1907–September 13, 1967) was a New York-born American journalist who ran a rescue network in Vichy France that helped approximately 2,000 anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees to escape the Nazis. ... City flag Coat of arms Motto: By her great deeds, the city of Massilia shines Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Region Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Department Bouches-du-Rhône (13) Subdivisions 16 arrondissements (in 8 secteurs) Intercommunality Urban Community of Marseille Provence...

While in France, he had made a visit to Lourdes where he found spiritual solace. He also experienced much help and kindness from the Catholic orders which staffed the shrine to the Virgin Mary at Lourdes. He vowed to write about the experience, and once in America, in 1941 he released The Song of Bernadette. While living in southern California, he wrote his final play, "Jacobowsky and the Colonel" (Jacobowsky und der Oberst). Before his death he completed the first draft of his last novel Star of the Unborn (Stern der Ungeborenen), which was published posthumously, in 1946. Lourdes is a town situated in the Southwest of the Hautes-Pyrénées department, lying in the first Pyrenean foothills. ... The term Virgin Mary has several different meanings: Mary, the mother of Jesus, the historical and multi-denominational concept of Mary Blessed Virgin Mary, the Roman Catholic theological and doctrinal concept of Mary Marian apparitions shrines to the Virgin Mary Virgin Mary in Islam, the Islamic theological and doctrinal concept... Lourdes is a town situated in the Southwest of the Hautes-Pyrénées department, lying in the first Pyrenean foothills. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Franz Werfel was born a German-speaking Jew in Prague in 1890, and became well-known as a gifted playwright. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Franz Werfel died in Los Angeles in 1945 and was interred there in the Rosendale Cemetery. However, his body was later exhumed and returned to Vienna for reburial in the Zentralfriedhof. Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type mayor-council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D)  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  465. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Exterior of the Dr. Karl Lueger-Gedächtniskirche, Zentralfriedhof, Vienna. ...

Bibliography

In English (some of these titles are out of print):

• The Forty Days of Musa Dagh
• The Song of Bernadette
• The Song of Bernadette – The Immortal Story of Bernadette of Lourdes by Franz Werfel (abridged by John Martin)
• The Man Who Conquered Death
• Embezzled Heaven
• Verdi
• Class Reunion
• Juarez and Maximilian – play
• Star of the Unborn – science-fiction novel

Musa Mountain and Vakıflı village, near Antakya, in Hatay, Turkey. ... Class Reunion (German edition) Class Reunion (original title: Der Abituriententag) is a novel by Franz Werfel first published in German in 1928. ...

See also

• List of Austrians
• List of Austrian writers
• The Song of Bernadette (novel) – review of Franz Werfel's novel

The following list is an election of famous Austrians. ... This is a list of Austrian writers and poets. ... Franz Werfel was born a German-speaking Jew in Prague in 1890, and became well-known as a gifted playwright. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Franz Werfel

• Overview
• Longer biography
• A small album of miscellaneous photographs
• Franz Werfel author profile