Franz Theodor Csokor
Encyclopedia
Franz Theodor Csokor was an Austria
n author and dramatist, particularly well-known for his Expressionist dramas. His most successful and best-known piece is 3. November 1918, about the downfall of the K. u. k. monarchy. In many of his works Csokor deals with themes of antiquity and Christianity.
. (The name Csokor is Hungarian
and means bunch [of flowers]). He started on a course of art history, but did not finish it. From early on he felt a calling to be a dramatist, and composed his first pieces before World War I
. The year 1913/14 he spent in Saint Petersburg
.
During the war he became a soldier, and was latterly employed in the War Archives
From 1922 to 1928 Csokor was the dramaturgist at the Raimundtheater and at the Deutsches Volkstheater in Vienna.
From 1933 he was already a decided opponent of National Socialism and signed a document saying so at the PEN
congress in Dubrovnik
. In 1938, after the annexation
of Austria to Germany, he emigrated voluntarily, and after travelling via Poland
, Rumania and Hungary
, ended up in Italy
in 1944, where he lived in Rome
. He worked for the BBC
and returned to Vienna in 1946 in British uniform.
In 1947 Csokor became president of the Austrian PEN Club, with which he remained actively associated until well into his old age. In 1968 he also became vice-president of the International PEN
.
As a convinced humanist
Csokor spoke up in his dramas for peace, freedom and human rights. His creative life was also closely connected with the Labour movement.
Csokor was awarded the title of Professor.
He died in Vienna, and is buried in a grave of honour in the Zentralfriedhof
. The Csokorgasse, a street in Vienna, was named after him in 1975. In 1994 the Austrian Post Office published a special stamp in his honour.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n author and dramatist, particularly well-known for his Expressionist dramas. His most successful and best-known piece is 3. November 1918, about the downfall of the K. u. k. monarchy. In many of his works Csokor deals with themes of antiquity and Christianity.
Life
Csokor was born into a respectable middle-class family in ViennaVienna
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...
. (The name Csokor is Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
and means bunch [of flowers]). He started on a course of art history, but did not finish it. From early on he felt a calling to be a dramatist, and composed his first pieces before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The year 1913/14 he spent in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
During the war he became a soldier, and was latterly employed in the War Archives
From 1922 to 1928 Csokor was the dramaturgist at the Raimundtheater and at the Deutsches Volkstheater in Vienna.
From 1933 he was already a decided opponent of National Socialism and signed a document saying so at the PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
congress in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
. In 1938, after the annexation
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of Austria to Germany, he emigrated voluntarily, and after travelling via Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Rumania and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, ended up in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1944, where he lived in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He worked for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and returned to Vienna in 1946 in British uniform.
In 1947 Csokor became president of the Austrian PEN Club, with which he remained actively associated until well into his old age. In 1968 he also became vice-president of the International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
.
As a convinced humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
Csokor spoke up in his dramas for peace, freedom and human rights. His creative life was also closely connected with the Labour movement.
Csokor was awarded the title of Professor.
He died in Vienna, and is buried in a grave of honour in the Zentralfriedhof
Zentralfriedhof
The Zentralfriedhof is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, largest by number of interred in Europe and most famous cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries.-Name and location:...
. The Csokorgasse, a street in Vienna, was named after him in 1975. In 1994 the Austrian Post Office published a special stamp in his honour.
Decorations and awards
- 1937 Goldener Lorbeer der Warschauer Literaturakademie
- 1937 Goldenes Verdienstkreuz der Polnischen Republik
- 1937 Burgtheater-Ring
- 1938 Grillparzer Prize
- 1953 Literaturpreis der Stadt Wien
- 1955 Ehrenring der Stadt Wien
- 1955 Grand Austrian State PrizeGrand Austrian State PrizeThe Grand Austrian State Prize is a decoration given annually by Austria to an artist for exceptional work. The recipient must be an Austrian citizen with a permanent residence in Austria....
for Literature - 1960 Goldene Feder
- 1961 Ehrenmitglied des Presseclubs Concordia
Theatrical pieces
- Die rote Straße, 1918
- Die Stunde des Absterbens, 1919
- Gesellschaft der Menschenrechte, 1929
- Besetztes Gebiet, 1930
- 3. November 1918, 1936; Ephelant 1993. ISBN 3-900766-07-X.
- Gottes General, 1939; Ephelant 1993. ISBN 3-900766-07-X.
- Kalypso, 1942
- Der verlorene Sohn, 1943; Ephelant 1993. ISBN 3-900766-07-X.
- Cäsars Witwe, 1954
- Pilatus, 1954
- Hebt den Stein ab, 1957
- Jadwiga, 1966
- Der tausendjährige Traum, 1966
- Alexander, 1969
- Der Kaiser zwischen den Zeiten, 1969
Prose
- Hildebrands Heimkehr, eine deutsche Sage, 1905
- Schuß ins Geschäft (Der Fall Otto Eißler), 1925
- Über die Schwelle, short stories, 1937
- Der Schlüssel zum Abgrund, novel, 1955
- Der zweite Hahnenschrei, short stories, 1959
- Ein paar Schaufeln Erde, short stories, 1965
- Auch heute noch nicht an Land. Briefe und Gedichte aus dem Exil. With Das schwarze Schiff and Zeuge einer Zeit. Ephelant 1993. ISBN 3-900766-05-3.
Lyric poetry
- Die Gewalten, 1912
- Der Dolch und die Wunde, 1917
- Ewiger Aufbruch, 1926
- Das schwarze Schiff, 1945, 1947; 1993
- Immer ist Anfang, 1952
Autobiography
- Als Zivilist im polnischen Krieg, Allert de Lange, Amsterdam 1940
- Als Zivilist im Balkankrieg, Ullstein, Vienna 1947
- new edition ed. Franz Richard Reiter. Ephelant, Vienna 2000. ISBN 3-900766-12-6
- Auf fremden Straßen, Desch, Vienna 1955
- Zeuge einer Zeit: Briefe aus dem Exil 1933–1950, Langen-Müller, Munich 1955
- Autobiographical sketch by Franz Theodor Csokor, ca. 1914 for Franz Brümmer; In: Digital Edition of the lexicographic papers from the literary estate of Franz Brümmer
External links
- Website about Franz Theodor Csokor
- www.csokor.de SAB
- Autobiographical sketch by Franz Theodor Csokor, ca. 1914 to Franz Brümmer; In: Digital Edition of the lexicographic papers from the literary estate of Franz Brümmer
- Entry about Franz Theodor Csokor in the lexicon of the Landesmuseum Niederösterreich