Otto Bernhard Wendler

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Otto Bernhard Wendler , also OB Wendler and OBW , pseudonym Peter Droß (born December 10, 1895 in Frankenberg , Amtshauptmannschaft Flöha , Saxony ; † January 7, 1958 in Burg , Magdeburg district ), was a German educator and writer .

Life

Otto Bernhard Wendler was the son of a master coppersmith . After his parents moved, he grew up in Brandenburg an der Havel from 1900 . After the middle school (boys 'middle school) he became a pupil of the preparatory institute in 1910 and then of the teachers' college in Genthin . In 1914 he moved from there as a volunteer ( hunter ) in the First World War and did not return until 1918 as a lieutenant in the reserve . He returned to the teachers' college and finished it in 1920 with the first teacher examination. His acquaintance with the later film director Robert A. Stemmle , who also trained as a teacher in Genthin from 1919 to 1923, probably dates back to this time .

Otto Bernhard Wendler came back from the war as a resolute opponent of the war and therefore joined the SPD in 1921 . After a substitute position, he was a teacher in Bergzow near Genthin from 1921 to 1923 , where he also took his second teaching examination. Here he founded a workers 'choir and a workers' football club . In 1923 he went to the newly opened school in Kirchmöser West . As a committed advocate of reform pedagogy , he not only designed school lessons, but also included the parents by founding an educational community, which he later called the first rural adult education center . He was also a community representative in Kirchmöser. He was also very interested in the theater, attended many performances in Brandenburg (Havel) and wrote theater reviews , short stories and glosses on current topics for the SPD daily newspaper Brandenburger Zeitung .

In April 1927 Otto Bernhard Wendler was appointed rector of the newly founded "Collective School". This secular school (without religious instruction , but with life science lessons ) was demanded by the freethinkers and was set up by the responsible SPD city council within three months in the Neustadt of Brandenburg (Havel) on Katharinenkirchplatz. In the same year he became a member of the Association of Resolute School Reformers led by Paul Oestreich . As rector, Wendler developed diverse cultural initiatives, organized new forms of parents' evenings as well as school celebrations, light celebrations (before Christmas) and solstice celebrations, wrote songs, dances, skits and plays for them and supported the youth consecrations . In 1930 and 1931 these celebrations also took place four times in the sold-out city theater. He was also a city ​​councilor for the SPD.

In addition to his work as a theater critic , he began to work increasingly literary during these years. After a few successful books and puppet shows for children and young people, he processed his war experiences in his first novel Soldiers Marieen (1929), which was also distributed in English translation in Great Britain and the USA . In it, Otto Bernhard Wendler also describes the needs and sufferings of women in their homeland and the occupied territories. The second novel Laubenkolonie Erdenglück (1931) vividly portrayed the conditions of the working population in the world economic crisis in a really existing arbor colony in Brandenburg (Havel). The longing of the industrial workers for nature as well as the human and political aspirations of the workers are expressed in a language that corresponded to the way of speaking in the city. The youth book Zirkuspaul , first published in 1932 and later reprinted several times , was part of Dutch school literature in the 1940s and 1950s, i.e. at a time when the Netherlands was not exactly considered friendly to German.

His part social criticism and anti-military novels and pieces as well as his educational reform and socialist setting for his work as head teacher already led in January 1933 for forced removal from the school by the Nazis . After formal disciplinary proceedings , he was dismissed from school in 1934 with no pension entitlement and his title of rector revoked. Most of his works were banned. Otto Bernhard Wendler lived in Burg (near Magdeburg) from 1933 and was under police supervision from 1936. At times he wrote under the pseudonym Peter Droß and withdrew to non-political topics in his well-known youth novels (Schneider Adventure Books). Through his acquaintance with actors from UFA such as Hans Albers , Ilse Werner and Heinz Rühmann and the director Robert A. Stemmle, he also worked, partly anonymously, on many film books, such as a. possibly for the outstanding films Große Freiheit No. 7 and Münchhausen . Thanks to Stemmle, he also officially entered the film business as a screenwriter in 1937.

“The accidental poet”, as Otto Bernhard Wendler called himself, allowed modernity to find its way into traditional fairy tales with a talent for comedic design . The novelist , theater critic, playwright and author of radio plays showed a keen interest in telling stories. In the late novels When the Storms Stood (1954) and From the Seven Lakes (1956) he delivered a profiled representation of characters and shone in his texts with an original, carefree language.

After the end of the war in 1945 Otto Bernhard Wendler was offered the position of high school council in the province of Brandenburg . He refused, but then reluctantly became a school councilor in what was then the district of Jerichow I , before he was entrusted with the management of the cultural office in the administrative district of Magdeburg just two months later . Here was one of the founders of the Kulturbund for the democratic renewal of Germany . In 1947 he gave up this post in order to be entirely a writer again.

He continued to live freelance in Burg and was also a co-founder in 1947 and, until his death, also the first chairman of the Saxony-Anhalt Writers' Association and the Magdeburg district . As a youth organization of the German Writers' Association a "Working Group of Young Authors" (AJA) was established with its support, in which he personally young talents such as Brigitte Reimann , Martin yourself , Wolfgang Schreyer , Helmut Sakowski , Reiner Kunze and Wolf Dieter Brennecke , strongly promoted . Brigitte Reimann in particular found her style through Wendler.

During this time, Otto Bernhard Wendler wrote for children and adults, for the stage and also for film in West and East, including the film " Martina " (1949) produced by Heinz Rühmann and "Die Meereruf" (1951 ) for DEFA ). Eight novels, more than 15 books for children and young people , a dozen puppet shows, fairy tales, stories , novellas , film books, plays , animated films in verse, publications in anthologies, magazines and newspapers determined Wendler's extensive, extremely varied work.

Works

Novels, books for young people

  • Soldiers Marieen. The chronicle of the cruel and tragic separation of the sexes in war. EP Tal $ Co., Vienna 1929
  • Laubenkolonie Erdenglück. The book circle , Berlin 1931 (novel)
  • Peter makes the race. Franz Schneider, Leipzig 1931 (novel)
    • (English edition: Methuen, London 1934)
  • Jochen is looking for the station ROK Thienemann, Stuttgart (1932) (= Thiemann's illustrated two-mark books) (youth book)
  • Circus Paul. Franz Schneider, Leipzig 1932 (book for young people)
  • Three figures from a shooting gallery. E. Prager, Leipzig and Vienna (1932) (= The Face of Time; 10) (novel)
  • God Wind ahoy! Thienemann, Stuttgart 1933 (= Thiemann's illustrated two-mark books) (book for young people)
  • The pike from Rotscherlinde. Franz Schneider, Leipzig 1933 (book for young people)
  • Eleven boys in a boat. A funny boy story. Union, Stuttgart / Berlin / Leipzig (1933) (= Union Youth Books)
  • Alwin Klein is soaping everyone. Franz Schneider, Leipzig 1934 (book for young people), illustrations by Hans Kossatz
    • later clearly changed as: Fritz, the beard is off! Franz Schneider, Augsburg (1953)
  • A man's sky blue dream. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1934 (novel)
  • (as Peter Droß ): Little sparrow with a blue feather. Franz Schneider, Leipzig / Vienna 1934 (fairy tale collection)
  • (as Peter Droß ): Johann a boy from Saarhammer. Franz Schneider, Leipzig 1934 (book for young people)
  • (as Peter Droß ): From the little dog Strubbs. Franz Schneider, Leipzig (around 1934) (book for young people)
  • (as Peter Droß ): I want to be a teacher one day. Franz Schneider, Leipzig / Vienna (1935)
  • Fast boys - tough pucks. Franz Schneider, Leipzig / Vienna 1935 (book for young people)
  • Helene Hoerlyck: Inge has to go out into the world. Experiences among the natives of the Sunda Islands . (Revised translation from Danish ) Franz Schneider, Berlin / Leipzig / Vienna (1936)
  • (as Peter Droß ): We play through the year. Franz Schneider, Berlin / Vienna / Leipzig (1936) (book for young people)
  • The gray Hector trots again. Franz Schneider, Berlin / Vienna / Leipzig 1936 (book for young people)
  • Summer theater. Schützen-Verlag, Berlin 1936 (novel)
  • (as Peter Droß ): A funny piece of Kaspers Glück. Franz Schneider, Leipzig (1937)
  • Rose ball. Schützen-Verlag, Berlin 1937 (novel)
  • Paul from the Serpentini Circus. Franz Schneider, Berlin / Leipzig 1938 (book for young people)
    • (Edition for the Dutch school - J. Muusses, Purmerend 1941, 1951 and 1957)
    • later than: Circus Paul. The funny story of a boy who wants to be among the artists. Franz Schneider, Augsburg 1951 (book for young people)
  • Helene Hoerlyck: Inge is working on her new home. Experiences in Japan and return to Sumatra. (Revised translation from Danish ) Franz Schneider, Berlin / Leipzig (1941)
  • Helene Hoerlyck: Inge on the Agnetenhöhe plantation. Adventurous experiences in Sumatra. (Revised translation from Danish ) Franz Schneider, Berlin / Leipzig / Vienna (1941)
  • The girl Lantelme. Schützen-Verlag, Berlin 1943 (novel)
  • Old Tobias' presents. An amazing story. Mitteldeutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Halle (Saale) 1948 (youth book)
  • The boy with the big mouth. Mitteldeutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Halle (Saale) 1949 (youth book)
  • The pension is here! Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle (Saale) 1950, with illustrations by Wolfgang Mattheuer
  • When the thunderstorms stopped. Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle (Saale) 1954 (novel)
  • Of the seven lakes. Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle (Saale) 1956 (novel)

Pieces

  • The jump over the organ organ. Bühnenverlag Ahn & Simrock, Berlin (around 1927)
  • The Stilze Rumpel. Eduard Bloch, Berlin 1927 (= the hand puppet theater; 4) (puppet show)
  • Stick from the snuff. Eduard Bloch, Berlin 1928 (= the hand puppet theater; 7) (puppet show)
  • Seven in one go. Strauch, Leipzig (1928) (= Radirullala, Kaspar is back !; 6) (puppet show)
  • Becoming king is not difficult. A. Strauch, Leipzig (1928) (= Radirullala, Kaspar is back !; 7) (puppet show)
  • Haunted at midnight. A. Strauch, Leipzig (1928) (= The Cart; 11) (Thieves Comedy)
  • The bearskin. Eduard Bloch, Berlin (1935) (= North German Children's Games; 21) (fairy tale game)
  • Pygnalia. The revolving stage, Berlin 1942 (comedy)
  • The embers in the ashes. 1950 (tragic comedy, youth play)
  • Capers. Henschelverlag, Berlin 1957 (stage manuscript) (musical comedy)
    • (Czech edition: Moje žena Afrodita. Dilia, Prague 1959)
  • An actor goes through politics. Bauer, Berlin (1993)

Scripts

literature

  • Günter Albrecht u. a. (Ed.): Lexicon of German-speaking writers. Volume 2, 1968, pp. 703f.
  • Literature in the Magdeburg district. Ed. Council of the District of Magdeburg, undated [1981], p. 31f.
  • Anita Skupin: On January 7th, the writer Otto Bernhard Wendler died in Burg. In: Volksstimme Burg, July 13, 1995, p. 12.
  • Kürschner's German Literature Calendar, Nekrolog 1936–1970.
  • Paul Schulze: Otto Bernhard Wendler - pedagogue, writer. In: Marcus Alert and Wolfgang Kusior (eds.): 45 well-known Brandenburgers. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2002, pp. 89f., ISBN 3-933254-34-5 .
  • Jan Kostka: "Where people are absorbed in their environment." On the popular character in Otto Bernhard Wendler's small town texts. In: Werner Nell, Marc Weiland (eds.): Kleinstadtliteratur. Exploring a space of imagination of non-simultaneous modernity. transcript, Bielefeld 2020, ISBN 978-3-8376-4789-1 , pp. 303-324.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Wendler, Otto Bernhard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Droß, Peter (pseudonym); Wendler, OB; OBW
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German educator and writer
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Frankenberg , Amtshauptmannschaft Flöha , Saxony
DATE OF DEATH January 7, 1958
Place of death Burg , Magdeburg district