Renn, Ludwig

Renn, Ludwig 

(pen name of Arnold Friedrich Vieth von Golssenau). Born Apr. 22, 1889, in Dresden. East German author. Member of the German Academy of Arts in Berlin since 1952.

The son of a nobleman, Renn studied in Göttingen and Munich. He fought in World War I. In 1928 he became a member of the Communist Party of Germany; until 1932 he served as secretary of the Union of Proletarian Revolutionary Writers. He fought in the National Revolutionary War in Spain and later emigrated to Mexico. In 1947, Renn returned to his homeland.

Renn’s work is permeated with humanist ideas and a hatred of fascism and imperialistic wars. His novel War (1928) realistically depicts World War I through the eyes of an ordinary soldier. The Decline of the Nobility (1944) sharply criticizes the German officer class. Renn has also written many books for children and young people. His awards include Hero of Labor (1964), the National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (1955, 1961), and the H. Mann Prize (1962).

WORKS

Zu Fuss zum Orient. Berlin, 1966.
In Russian translation:
Krushenie. Moscow, 1929.
Na razvalinakh imperii. Moscow, 1964.

REFERENCE

Toper, P. M. Liudvig Renn. Moscow, 1965.