Hans A. Nikel

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Hans A. Nikel (actually Johannes Alfons Nikel ; * February 23, 1930 in Bielitz ; † December 27, 2018 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe ) was a German publisher, editor and artist. He was best known as the founder of the literary-satirical magazine pardon .

Life

At the age of 13, Nikel was already the founder of a school magazine and claimed that it was "the only non-licensed, non-controlled newspaper in the Third Reich". In the final phase of the war he was drafted into an intelligence force and was able to make his way to Erfurt after the end of the war. Here, together with Reinhard Lettau and others, he again founded a school magazine, but soon fled to the American zone of occupation .

In June 1948 he graduated from high school in Frankfurt and then learned the journalistic trade at the Süddeutsche Zeitung before moving to the Frankfurter Rundschau as editor in 1949. The former FR editor Brügmann recalled this early period of Nikels journalistic work:

“I think it is worth remembering that it was Nikel who, as editor of the FR, wrote the leading article at the age of 19 when the first Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer formed his government (FR of September 22, 1949). And also for the FR "looked after" the writer Thomas Mann when he came back to Germany for the first time in 1949, spoke in the Paulskirche and visited the FR editorial team. "

- Wolf Gunter Brügmann : A hash party as a trap , FRI, January 16, 2019

Parallel to his work at FR, Nikel studied with the philosophers Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno .

In 1951 Nikel founded the German Consumer Association with some colleagues, from which the consumer advice centers later emerged.

Hans A. Nikel last lived - together with his wife, who was also an artist - in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe .

Editing and publishing activities

In 1954, Nikel and Erich Bärmeier founded the Bärmeier & Nikel (B&N) publishing house . Nikel won prominent authors such as Erich Kästner , Alexander Mitscherlich and Gerhard Zwerenz , who wrote forewords for the primarily graphic and satirical books.

The first book to appear was one with Kurt Halbritter's drawings on the much-discussed text by Werner Finck Discipline is Everything , a statement against rearmament in the Federal Republic. This was followed by a critical calendar by A. Paul Weber .

In 1955 Nikel invented the Kleine Schmunzelbuch (six by seven centimeters), which could be realized with little capital investment. Loriot was one of the authors.

Works by authors such as Robert Gernhardt , Walter Hanel , Otto Köhler , Chlodwig Poth , Felix Rexhausen , Hans Traxler , FK Waechter and a 20-volume Jules Verne edition with new translations by young authors such as Wolf Wondratschek followed . The publishing house existed until 1971.

In September 1962, Bärmeier and Nikel published the first issue of pardon , supported by Erich Kästner, Loriot, Werner Finck , Hans Magnus Enzensberger and others. a. In September 1970, Bärmeier, who had taken care of commercial matters, resigned as co-editor. Until 1980 Nikel was a publisher, editor and editor-in-chief. pardon achieved a circulation of 320,000 copies. Nikel initiated famous pardon campaigns and brought authors such as Alice Schwarzer , Günter Wallraff , Gerhard Kromschröder and Robert Jungk into the paper.

In 1966, Nikel and Bärmeier took over the bankrupt consumer magazine DM and the associated test institute. Erich Bärmeier became editor-in-chief in 1970.

In 1972 Nikel received the gold medal of the Art Directors Club and was a member of the jury and president of various graphic and cartoon biennials and exhibitions.

Commitment to conscientious objection

About Nikels undeniable commitment to conscientious objection , several partly incorrect representations are circulating, which are also based on the text Life and Works on the Nikel website . Art wants to tell! are based. He is named there with reference to the year 1955 as "co-initiator and founder of the Association of Conscientious Objectors " (VK), and it is further alleged that the magazine ZIVIL [was] printed on the "first own printing press [..] [was] supervised by Willy Fleckhaus ”. Brügmann, too, wrongly declares him to be the “co-founder of the conscientious objection movement in Germany”.

First of all, it should be noted that the conscientious objection movement in Germany originated before the above-mentioned 1955, namely 1947. In that year the International of Conscientious Objectors (IdK) was constituted in Hamburg , and there is no evidence that Nikel stated contributed to this establishment. The UK did not exist in 1955 either. However, in the previously quoted text Leben und Werke (Life and Works) there is also the indication that Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski was "with his [Nikels] Association", and this suggests that Nikel was associated with the Cologne group of conscientious objectors (GdW) that had started to spread beyond the Cologne area. This closed the circle to Willy Fleckhaus, who in 1950 became editor of the union youth magazine Aufwärts , published by Bund-Verlag and published in Cologne, and who in 1953 took over its design management.

Guido Grünewald saw it similarly after Nikel took over the management of the GdW's Frankfurt branch, founded on January 7, 1956, at the latest in 1956.

“From September 1956, the group offered advice for conscientious objectors, for which the lawyer Paul Haag, known as a criminal defense attorney, made himself available; Nikel himself accompanied refusers as legal advisor on the examination boards. The fact that the GdW stood out from the traditionally operating ldK with loose propaganda slogans (Neither a people's police officer nor a federal army soldier! Head off to prayer! Better rock'n roll than marching band) was not least due to Nikel; Pardon artist Kurt Halbritter provided pointed caricatures. "

- Guido Grünwald : With loose sayings , FRI, January 22, 2019

Nikel was then active in the UK, which was formed on May 4, 1958 through the merger of the GdW with parts of the ldK. At the merger congress in Frankfurt he was elected as a speaker to the federal executive committee, and at the first ordinary federal congress on November 15 and 16, 1958 in Cologne as deputy federal chairman. In other functions he remained active on the federal executive board until 1961.

Another form of support for conscientious objectors was practiced by Nikel during the Algerian war . He “helped French deserters of the Algerian War to find shelter in nature lovers' houses in the Taunus”. The text Life and Works states: “Together with his Francophile assistant Heike Müller-Benad, he gave the deserters refuge, accommodation, work and food. This had to be done in absolute secret, because otherwise it would have led to diplomatic entanglements between the FRG and France. In many cases, the Association of Friends of Nature Youth, particularly Hainer Halberstadt from Club Voltaire, helped Nikel a lot . They had numerous hiking homes and huts in the Taunus, there the refugees could find shelter and secure their livelihood with help. "

Philosophical-artistic activity

Nikel led pardon until the fall of 1980 as a publisher, then sold it and took his first degree again. He received his PhD in philosophy in 1983 with a thesis on Meister Eckhart .

After completing his doctorate, Nikel worked as an artist and sculptor. More than 120 bronze sculptures and sculptures were created. In 1998 his works were presented to the public in an exhibition. The patronage was Hans Eichel , the laudation was given by the Hessian minister of culture; numerous prominent writers, poets, philosophers and public figures attended.

In 2001 Nikel established the honorary award of the Fairness Foundation, of which he was one of the founding curators together with Prof. Rupert Lay SJ . At this foundation he campaigned - “in times of increasing personal and social bullying” - for humane treatment in private and in the world of work.

reception

Chlodwig Poth , co-founder of pardon and who worked there for a long time, offered in his satirical key novel The Union of Body and Mind, with Richard's help, an unflattering portrait of Nikels editorial work. Nikel appears here in the form of the fictional character Baerblei.

bibliography

  • Approaching the completely different: Analogies between the results of scientific research and the knowledge of mysticism. Dissertation Frankfurt am Main 1983. Books and news, Frankfurt am Main 1984, ISBN 3-7619-0100-3 . New edition as: The mysticism of physics: Approaching the completely different: Correspondences between the results of scientific research and the knowledge of mysticism. Ludwig, Kiel 2010, ISBN 978-3-86935-023-3 .
  • Art wants to tell: poetic metal graphics and photographs. On the occasion of the exhibition in the noble English Church, the cultural center of the Hölderlin town of Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. With 107 reproductions. With texts by Peter Härtling , Tschingis Aitmatow , Eva Demski , Walter Kempowski , Günter Kunert , Reiner Kunze , Peter Rühmkorf . With a biographical afterword by Rafik Schami . Books and news, Bad Homburg 1998, ISBN 3-7619-0101-1 .
  • Moon swings. B and N, Bad Homburg 1999, ISBN 3-7619-0102-X .
  • Tell me how long will you love me : Stories told by the moon. Poetically accompanied by Frantz Wittkamp . Lappan, Oldenburg 2002, ISBN 3-8303-6027-4 .
  • The happiness and shine of the gold noses: stories told by the moon. Poetically accompanied by Frantz Wittkamp. Lappan, Oldenburg 2003, ISBN 3-8303-6028-2 .
  • with Konstantin Wecker : Flying with you: love songs. With many pictures and a CD. Edition Büchergilde, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-940111-37-1 .
  • Like a Santa Claus and an angel put the world in order. With 26 drawings by the author. Kreuz, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-7831-3191-8 .
  • with Stano Kochan and Edith Nikel-Ruppmann: Sylte: The only true story of the wonderful transformation of the magical sea goddess Sylte into the beautiful island of Sylt. B and N, Bad Homburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-7619-9999-8 .
  • Do you want to dance tango with me? The picture book of hidden stories: For reading and self-writing. With encouragement from Peter Härtling . Ludwig, Kiel 2010, ISBN 978-3-86935-037-0 .
as editor
  • Stano Kochan: Honor the truth: Münchhausen: The latest from Münchhausen. B & N, Bad Homburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-7619-0098-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans A. Nikel. In: Kürschner's German Literature Calendar 2016/2017. Volume II: PZ. Verlag Walter de Gruyter , 2016, ISBN 978-3-11-045397-3 , p. 706.
  2. ^ "Pardon" founder Hans A. Nikel died at the age of 88. In: welt.de . January 1, 2019, accessed January 1, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c d life and works on the Nikel website . Art wants to tell!
  4. ↑ a b Mourning for Johannes A. Nikel , Frankfurter Rundschau, January 2, 2019
  5. ^ "Pardon" founder Hans A. Nikel dies at the age of 88, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, January 1, 2019
  6. ↑ Wolf Gunter Brügmann: A hash party as a trap , FRI, January 16, 2019
  7. ^ House of Press Freedom: Willy Fleckhaus
  8. ↑ Guido Grünewald: Conscientious objectors union or political peace organization: Association of Conscientious Objectors , Friedenspolitische Studiengesellschaft, Hamburg 1977, pp. 219-221
  9. ↑ Christoph Gunkel: Pardon inventor Nikel: 'What an unspeakably narrow-minded time!'. , Der SPIEGEL, February 23, 2015
  10. ↑ Unfortunately, correct and incorrect statements flow into one another here as well. The right support is provided by the Naturfreundejugend, Halberstadt and the Club Voltaire. Halberstadt had nothing to do with the nature lovers youth, but was a co-founder of the Club Voltaire. See also: The “Hessian Underground” and the Algerian struggle for freedom
  11. ↑ Christoph Gunkel: “Pardon” inventor Nikel: “What an unspeakably narrow-minded time!” In: one day on Spiegel Online . February 23, 2015, accessed on January 1, 2019 : "He turned 85 in February 2015 - and he is still in league with the devil."
personal data
SURNAME Nikel, Hans A.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nikel, Johannes Alfons (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German publisher and artist
DATE OF BIRTH February 23, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Bielitz
DATE OF DEATH December 27, 2018
Place of death Bad Homburg vor der Höhe