Association of Socialist Writers

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Association of Socialist Writers (VsS), founded in 1933, was an anti-fascist writers 'association in Austria that was close to the Social Democratic Workers' Party .

history

Less than a week after the National Socialists came to power in Germany, authors met in Vienna on January 22nd, 1933 to found the Association of Socialist Writers. Fritz Brügel , Rudolf Brunngraber , Theodor Kramer and Josef Luitpold Stern had registered the new association with the responsible authorities. The objective was: "The purpose of the association is to collect all writers whose worldview is socialism for the intellectual and material advancement of their work and to bring about cooperation with similar artistic associations". The first chairman was Josef Luitpold Stern. The socialist writers published numerous articles in the social democratic press, for example in the Arbeiter-Zeitung . Lectures, discussions and readings were organized on a regular basis.

The association saw itself as a spokeswoman for the literature suppressed and persecuted by fascism. Anti-fascist German writers who had fled to Austria from the Nazi terror were supported. Some of them became members of the association, such as Oskar Maria Graf , Jakob Haringer and Hermynia zur Mühlen .

On March 2, 1934, the federal security commissioner for Vienna made the compulsory dissolution of the association. Many members of the association went into exile in 1934 or 1938, many of whom remained, many were murdered by the National Socialists, such as Adele Jellinek , Benedikt Fantner , Else Feldmann , Käthe Leichter , Walter Lindenbaum , Thekla Merwin , Heinrich Steinitz , Adolf Unger .

In July 1946 the working group of socialist journalists and writers in Austria was formed . On September 19, 1948, the Association of Socialist Journalists and Writers of Austria was founded as a professional association of the BSA (today the Federal Media Professions Group).

Herbert Exenberger has collected documents and documents on the association for many years and published a lot on the subject. In 2013, Brigitte Lehmann and Alexander Emanuely processed his collection electronically and archivally . It includes materials on the history of the association, its 55 members and other writers from their environment. The material is freely accessible on the website of the Theodor Kramer Society .

Members

literature

  • Herbert Exenberger: As if the world was on fire. An anthology of murdered socialist writers , Mandelbaum, Vienna 2000, ISBN 3-85476-037-X
  • Ursula Seeber (Ed.): Asylum against will. Exile in Austria 1933-1938 , Mandelbaum, Vienna 2003 ISBN 978-3-85452-451-9

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Association of Socialist Writers. In: theodorkramer.at. Retrieved April 16, 2018 .
  2. ^ Herbert Exenberger: Networks of Exile 1933 to 1934: Oskar Maria Graf and Hermynia Zur Mühlen in the Association of Socialist Writers , In: Ursula Seeber (Ed.): Asyl against will. Exile in Austria 1933-1938 , Mandelbaum, Vienna 2003, 16f
  3. ↑ National Federation of Socialist writer (VsSÖ)
  4. ^ Herbert Exenberger's archive for the union of socialist writers