Jurek Becker
Encyclopedia
Jurek Becker was a Polish
-born German
writer
, film-author and GDR dissident. His most famous novel
is Jacob the Liar
, which has been made into two films. He lived in Łódź during World War II
for about two years and survived the Holocaust.
and later to Sachsenhausen
. His mother died in the Holocaust, but his father survived; father and son were reunited after the war and settled together in East Berlin
.
, Becker studied philosophy in East Berlin
but was expelled for expressing non-conformist views. In the 1960s he wrote film scripts, one of which, Jakob der Lügner (Jacob the Liar), he turned into a novel when the film production was halted. It was made into a film by the East German film company DEFA in 1974 and in 1975 became the only East German film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award (in the foreign-language film category), though it did not win. A 1998 remake, starring Robin Williams
in the title role, had limited success.
By the mid-1970s differences of opinion with the GDR authorities were becoming apparent, and Becker was one of the original twelve signatories of the petition against the expulsion of writer and singer Wolf Biermann
in November 1976. In 1977 he moved from East to West Berlin
, though somewhat unusually he retained his East German citizenship. He continued to publish novels and short stories, some on Jewish themes, others not.
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...
-born German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, film-author and GDR dissident. His most famous novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
is Jacob the Liar
Jacob the Liar
Jacob the Liar is a novel written by the East German author Jurek Becker published in 1969. The German original title is Jakob der Lügner...
, which has been made into two films. He lived in Łódź 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...
for about two years and survived the Holocaust.
Childhood
Jurek Becker was born in 1937 and lived in the Łódź Ghetto as a child. When he was five, he was sent to the Ravensbrück concentration campRavensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
and later to Sachsenhausen
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
. His mother died in the Holocaust, but his father survived; father and son were reunited after the war and settled together in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
.
Career
After completing his national service in the East German army in the 1950s, during which time he became firm friends with the actor Manfred KrugManfred Krug
Manfred Krug is a German actor and singer.-Life and work:After moving to East Germany at the age of 13, Manfred Krug worked at a steel plant before beginning his acting career on the stage and, ultimately, in film...
, Becker studied philosophy in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
but was expelled for expressing non-conformist views. In the 1960s he wrote film scripts, one of which, Jakob der Lügner (Jacob the Liar), he turned into a novel when the film production was halted. It was made into a film by the East German film company DEFA in 1974 and in 1975 became the only East German film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award (in the foreign-language film category), though it did not win. A 1998 remake, starring Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
in the title role, had limited success.
By the mid-1970s differences of opinion with the GDR authorities were becoming apparent, and Becker was one of the original twelve signatories of the petition against the expulsion of writer and singer Wolf Biermann
Wolf Biermann
Karl Wolf Biermann is a German singer-songwriter and former East German dissident.-Early life:Biermann's father, who worked on the Hamburg docks, was a German Jew and a member of the German Resistance....
in November 1976. In 1977 he moved from East to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, though somewhat unusually he retained his East German citizenship. He continued to publish novels and short stories, some on Jewish themes, others not.
Works in German
Becker was primarily a novelist, but he also wrote film and TV scripts. Several of his novels deal with the victims of the Holocaust: Jakob der Lügner, Der Boxer, and Bronsteins Kinder. Jakob der Lügner remains his most successful work.- Jakob der Lügner (1969)
- Irreführung der Behorden (1973)
- Der Boxer (1976)
- Schlaflose Tage (1978)
- Nach der ersten Zukunft (1980) – short story collection
- Aller Welt Freund (1982)
- Bronsteins Kinder (1982)
- Amanda herzlos (1992)
- Warnung von dem Schiftsteller (1990) – lectures
- Liebling KreuzbergLiebling KreuzbergLiebling Kreuzberg is a German television series. It shows the work of advocats in Berlin in 1986-1998. The main character is called "Robert Liebling" . The theme-music was played by Klaus Doldinger....
(1986 and 1988) – TV series
Works available in English translation
- Sleepless Days (1986)
- Jacob the LiarJacob the LiarJacob the Liar is a novel written by the East German author Jurek Becker published in 1969. The German original title is Jakob der Lügner...
(1990) - Bronstein's Children (1999)
- The Boxer (2002)
- My Father, the Germans and I (2010)