Arno Schmidt

Novelist

Birthday January 18, 1914

Birth Sign Capricorn

Birthplace Germany

DEATH DATE Jun 3, 1979 (65)

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About

A German writer and translator, he is known for such works as Leviathan, The Egghead Republic, and Evening Edged in Gold. His most famous work is the 1970 novel, Zettels Traum.

Before Fame

He was born in Hamburg, Germany and was drafted into Wehrmacht service at the beginning of World War II. He was an English Prisoner-of-War for a time before beginning a post-war career as a freelance writer.

Trivia

He had a cynical view of the world: in Schwarze Spiegel, he painted a picture of his personal Utopia as a post-apocalyptic place devoid of human life.

Family Life

He and his wife were repeatedly displaced during and in the aftermath of World War II. In 1958, they finally settled in Bargfeld, Lower Saxony.

Associated With

He referenced Edgar Allan Poe's works in his masterpiece, Zettels Traum. He also translated Poe's works into German.