Helmut Kossodo

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Helmut Kossodo (born November 26, 1915 in Berlin ; † October 21, 1994 in Geneva ) was a German translator and publisher .

Live and act

Helmut Kossodo was the son of a Berlin Jewish family who had to leave Germany in 1933. In Geneva, Kossodo first studied music, with the professional goal of being a conductor. After the outbreak of World War II, he was held in an internment camp and forcibly used in road construction work. After 1945, with the help of inherited funds, he was able to set up a publishing house that specialized in the publication of previously little-known writers. But John Lennon was also one of the publishers with a volume of poetry.

“Generous and bold” (DBE; see lit.) was Kossodo's publishing commitment when he made the decision to publish the “complete works” of Robert Walser . The edition, edited by Jochen Greven and Jörg Schäfer, appeared in thirteen volumes between 1966 and 1975. Under the weight of the project, Kossodo lost all of his fortune, so that in the mid-1970s he had to close the publishing house, which had previously been based in Hamburg and Geneva. Nevertheless, as a publisher, his name remains permanently associated with this commitment.

Since then, Kossodo has worked as a translator and reviewer. The authors he has translated from English and French include, among many others, Charlotte Brontë , Julien Green , Eugène Sue, and Herman Wouk .

Awards

Translations (selection)

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kossodo, Helmut
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German translator and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH October 21, 1994
Place of death Geneva