Kurt Wolff
Encyclopedia
Kurt Wolff was a German
publisher, editor, writer and journalist
.
Wolff was born in Bonn
, Rhenish Prussia
. Together with Ernst Rowohlt
he began to work in publishing in Leipzig
in 1908. He was the first to promote and publish the authors Franz Kafka
and Franz Werfel
. Wolff's close contact to other writers in Prague
and the support for unknown, but talented writers, helped him develop Kafka's friends, Max Brod
and Felix Weltsch
who were more well known in Berlin
and Germany. In 1929, Wolff published the photography book Face of our Time by August Sander
. In 1941 Wolff and his wife Helen left Germany and with the assistance of Varian Fry
immigrated to New York City
. Later in Munich
, Florence
, and the United States
, Wolff tried to develop different publishing houses. In the U.S., he and wife Helen founded Pantheon Books
in 1942, which became famous. He died in Marbach
.
The Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
is named in honor of him and his wife.
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...
publisher, editor, writer and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.
Wolff was born in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Rhenish Prussia
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
. Together with Ernst Rowohlt
Ernst Rowohlt
Ernst R. Rowohlt was a German publisher who founded the Rowohlt publishing house in 1908 and headed it and its successors until his death...
he began to work in publishing in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1908. He was the first to promote and publish the authors Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
and Franz Werfel
Franz Werfel
Franz Werfel was an Austrian-Bohemian novelist, playwright, and poet.- Biography :Born in Prague , Werfel was the first of three children of a wealthy manufacturer of gloves and leather goods. His mother, Albine Kussi, was the daughter of a mill owner...
. Wolff's close contact to other writers in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and the support for unknown, but talented writers, helped him develop Kafka's friends, Max Brod
Max Brod
Max Brod was a German-speaking Czech Jewish, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is most famous as the friend and biographer of Franz Kafka...
and Felix Weltsch
Felix Weltsch
Felix Weltsch , Dr. jur et phil., was a German-speaking Jewish librarian, philosopher, author, editor, publisher and journalist...
who were more well known in 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...
and Germany. In 1929, Wolff published the photography book Face of our Time by August Sander
August Sander
August Sander was a German portrait and documentary photographer. Sander's first book Face of our Time was published in 1929...
. In 1941 Wolff and his wife Helen left Germany and with the assistance of Varian Fry
Varian Fry
Varian Mackey Fry was an American journalist. Fry ran a rescue network in Vichy France that helped approximately 2,000 to 4,000 anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees to escape Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.-Early life:...
immigrated to 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...
. Later in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Wolff tried to develop different publishing houses. In the U.S., he and wife Helen founded Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books is an American imprint with editorial independence that is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.The current editor-in-chief at Pantheon Books is Dan Frank.-Overview:...
in 1942, which became famous. He died in Marbach
Marbach
Marbach may refer to: Places in Germany*the town Marbach am Neckar, district Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg*Part of Erbach in Hessen*Part of Gomadingen, Baden-Württemberg...
.
The Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize is an annual literary prize honoring an outstanding literary translation from German into English published in the USA the previous year. The translator of the winning translation receives $10,000.00 and a stay at the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin...
is named in honor of him and his wife.
Literary Archives
The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University holds the Kurt Wolff Archive, 1907-1938. The collection contains about 4,100 letters and manuscripts from the files of the Kurt Wolff Verlag from the years 1910-30. A portion of the Kurt Wolff Archive is currently available online.External links
- Kurt Wolff Archive, 1907-1938 From the collection of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University