Anna Gmeyner
Encyclopedia
Anna Wilhelmine Gmeyner (b. March 16, 1902, Vienna
, d. January 3, 1991, New York City
) was an exiled German and Austrian author
, playwright
and scriptwriter, who is now best known for her novel Manja
(1939). She also wrote under the names Anna Reiner, and Anna Morduch. Her daughter was the children's writer Eva Ibbotson
.
among their friends.Having studied in Vienna from 1920, Gmeyner moved to Berlin
in 1925 having married the physiologist Berthold P. Wiesner. Their first and only child, Eva (born Maria Charlotte Michell Wiesner), was born shortly before the move. The family relocated to Scotland
in 1926 after Wiesner was offered a job at the University of Edinburgh
, it was during this time that Gmeyner gathered inspiration for her play about the Scottish miners' strike.
Gmeyner and Wiesner separated in 1928, and Gmeyner returned to Berlin
where she began to write plays. Her first theatrical works were a children's play called The Great and Little Claus and a critically acclaimed drama about the miners' strike in Scotland.
, and began to work in film production, working with Bertolt Brecht
and writing film scripts for G.W. Pabst. It was in Paris that Gmeyner met her second husband, the Russian philosopher Jascha Morduch.
As war approached, the couple moved to England
, where Gmeyner began work on the exile literature she became known for. Charmian Brinson, A Woman's Place...?: German Speaking Women in Exile in Britain 1933-45, (Blackwell 1998) In 1938 she wrote Manja while living with Morduch and her daughter, Eva, in Belsize Park
, London
. The novel draws on the experience of exile
, and this period of Gmeyner's life is evoked by Eva in the novel The Morning Gift
. Manja was published first in Amsterdam
in 1939, before being published in English as Five Destinies in the US, and The Wall in the UK. "Manja" was republished by Persephone Books
in 2003.
Between 1940 and 1950, during World War II
, Gmeyner and her husband lived in Berkshire
. Jascha Morduch died in 1950, and Gmeyner began writing again under the name Anna Morduch, publishing biographies, religious stories, and poetry, as well as novels.
Anna Gmeyner died in 1991 at the age of 88.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, d. January 3, 1991, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) was an exiled German and Austrian author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and scriptwriter, who is now best known for her novel Manja
Manja
Manja may refer to:* Manja , the glass powder coated kite flying and fighting string* Manja , a Singaporean magazine* Manja , a 1938 novel by Anna GmeynerPlaces* Manja, Jordan* Manja, Madagascar, a town in Madagascar...
(1939). She also wrote under the names Anna Reiner, and Anna Morduch. Her daughter was the children's writer Eva Ibbotson
Eva Ibbotson
Eva Ibbotson was an Austrian-born British novelist, known for her award-winning children's books as well as her novels for adults - several of which have been successfully reissued for the young adult readership in recent years.-Personal life:Eva Ibbotson was born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner...
.
Early life
Anna Gmeyner was born to liberal Jewish parents in Vienna, where her father Rudolf Gmeyner was a lawyer. She grew up in a sophisticated and intellectual household, and her parents counted Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
among their friends.Having studied in Vienna from 1920, Gmeyner moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1925 having married the physiologist Berthold P. Wiesner. Their first and only child, Eva (born Maria Charlotte Michell Wiesner), was born shortly before the move. The family relocated to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1926 after Wiesner was offered a job at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, it was during this time that Gmeyner gathered inspiration for her play about the Scottish miners' strike.
Gmeyner and Wiesner separated in 1928, and Gmeyner returned to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
where she began to write plays. Her first theatrical works were a children's play called The Great and Little Claus and a critically acclaimed drama about the miners' strike in Scotland.
Life in exile
The Nazis' rise to power in 1933 prompted Gmeyner to flee Berlin, where her work was later banned. She moved to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and began to work in film production, working with Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
and writing film scripts for G.W. Pabst. It was in Paris that Gmeyner met her second husband, the Russian philosopher Jascha Morduch.
As war approached, the couple moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where Gmeyner began work on the exile literature she became known for. Charmian Brinson, A Woman's Place...?: German Speaking Women in Exile in Britain 1933-45, (Blackwell 1998) In 1938 she wrote Manja while living with Morduch and her daughter, Eva, in Belsize Park
Belsize Park
Belsize Park is an area of north-west London, England, in the London Borough of Camden.It is located north-west of Charing Cross and situated on the Northern Line. It borders Hampstead to the north and west, Kentish Town and Gospel Oak to the east, Camden Town to the south east and Primrose Hill...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The novel draws on the experience of exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
, and this period of Gmeyner's life is evoked by Eva in the novel The Morning Gift
The Morning Gift
The Morning Gift is a bestselling novel by the English author Eva Ibbotson, based on her own experience as a refugee.The story is set during the prelude and beginning of the Second World War and combines a picture of 1930s emigrant life with a love story....
. Manja was published first in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1939, before being published in English as Five Destinies in the US, and The Wall in the UK. "Manja" was republished by Persephone Books
Persephone Books
Persephone Books is an independent publisher based in Bloomsbury, London. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone has a catalogue of 93 "neglected novels, diaries, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, biography and cookery books, mostly by women and mostly dating from the early to...
in 2003.
Between 1940 and 1950, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Gmeyner and her husband lived in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Jascha Morduch died in 1950, and Gmeyner began writing again under the name Anna Morduch, publishing biographies, religious stories, and poetry, as well as novels.
Anna Gmeyner died in 1991 at the age of 88.
External links
- What's in a Name? What is Jewishness?, Deborah Vietor-Engländer http://www.reference-global.com/doi/abs/10.1515/9783484971486.467