Fritz Jellinek (writer)

Friedrich "Fritz" Jellinek (born August 5, 1892 in Brno , Moravia , † August 16, 1966 in London ) was an Austrian writer and industrialist .

In the UK he was also known as Frederick Jellinek after he emigrated in 1938 .

Life

Fritz Jellinek was born on August 5, 1892, the son of Edmund (1853–1931) and Leontine Jellinek (née Bachrich; 1865–1940) in Brno. One of his brothers was Oskar Jellinek (1886–1949), who worked as a writer in later years and fled to the United States via Prague and Paris during the Nazi regime . Other siblings were Lilly (1887–?) And Vallerie “Valli” Jellinek (1895–?), As well as Helene Königsgarten (born Jellinek; 1889–1918). The latter was married to Ludwig Königsgarten (1873-1943), the older brother of the businessman, privateer and fencer Ernst Königsgarten (1880-1943). In 1928 Fritz Jellinek took over the management of the Jellinek & Seidl sheep wool factory founded in 1867, his father's company, which he had been co-owner since 1878. Together with Otto and Walter Seidl, who later also fled to the United Kingdom, he was then one of the company's three partners. By 1932 the Brno company employed around 500 people. At the same time, Fritz was active as a journalist and writer. Among other things, he worked as a cultural journalist for the Prager Tagblatt ; Even his brother Oskar was already pursuing a career as a writer at this time. He represented the Czech Jews in the Judenrat and participated as a member of the council at the first World Jewish Congress in 1936.

To avoid persecution by the National Socialists, a large part of the family fled their homeland from 1938 onwards. Fritz Jellinek took it to London , where he settled and lived until the end of his life. His property was administered by a German commissioner during the war. After the end of the Second World War , the company passed into national administration in 1945, but was returned to the original owners in 1947. However, they did not take over the company again until it was merged into another company the following year and was completely deleted from the commercial register in 1951.

During his time in the UK he worked for Time and Tide and the National Review, among others . In addition to works on social and economic philosophy, Jellinek occasionally also published volumes of poetry. His works include Von Jewish things (1934), The Crisis of the Citizen (1936), Dramatic sketchbook from old, from new, from the most recent (1938), West of Decline. The truth about world production of truth (1948), Children of Niobe (1950) or spirit and love remain alive . In his new home, too, he pursued the job from his old home and founded a weaving mill in Huddersfield , which he managed until 1957. During the Second World War he was a member of the committee that established the Jewish Brigade .

A few days after his 74th birthday, Jellinek died in London, where he was also buried. After his death, parts of his estate were donated to the Israeli National Library by his widow Eva through the organization British Friends of the Hebrew University .

literature

• Susanne Blumesberger , Michael Doppelhofer , Gabriele Mauthe : Handbook of Austrian authors of Jewish origin from the 18th to the 20th century . Volume 2: J – R, Register. Edited by the Austrian National Library. Saur, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-598-11545-8 , p. 603.
• Mechthild Hahner (Red.): German Exile Archive 1933–1945. Catalog of books and brochures . Stuttgart: Metzler, 1989 ISBN 3-476-00657-3 , pp. 264-265

Web links

• Fritz Jellinek in the Internetová encyklopedie dějin Brna (Czech)
• Some Austrian refugees in Great Britain

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The book. In:  Gerechtigkeit , December 30, 1937, p. 12 (online at ANNO ).