Traven, B., 1890–1969, German language novelist. During his life Traven refused to divulge any information concerning himself. His birth name is still uncertain, as is his birthplace. As Ret Marut he was involved in Communist uprisings in Germany after World War I. In the 1920s he moved to Mexico, where he lived for the remainder of his life, assuming the name B. Traven. On his passport, he claimed his given name was Berick Traven Torsvan, though this is now thought to have been another subterfuge. His novels are often set in exotic locations and usually treat exploiters and those they exploit. Among his works are The Death Ship (1926, tr. 1934), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1927, tr. 1935), The Rebellion of the Hanged (1934, tr. 1952), and The Night Visitors (tr. 1966).

Traven, B.

(born March 5, 1890?, Chicago, Ill., U.S.?—died March 27, 1969, Mexico City, Mex.) German-Mexican novelist. A recluse, he refused to disclose to publishers his parentage, nationality, and general identity, but he may have been forced to leave Germany for his participation in its short-lived communist revolution in 1919. Most of his books were written in German. He is noted for adventure stories and as a chronicler of rural life in Mexico, where he settled in the 1920s. Among his novels are The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1927; film, 1948) and a series tracing the lives of impoverished Indians in southern Mexico, including The Carreta (1931) and The Rebellion of the Hanged (1936). His works are harsh and his themes compelling, and his lean prose has a hypnotic immediacy. Much confusion remains about both his life and his authorship.