Literary Encyclopedia

Erich Fried

  • Steven W. Lawrie (University of Aberdeen)

The Austrian-born writer Erich Fried was one of the most prolific and prominent twentieth-century German-language poets. Although Fried is known principally as a poet and translator, he also published radio plays, short stories and a novel, Ein Soldat und ein Mädchen [A Soldier and a Girl, 1960]. His literary success is all the more startling as his personal circumstances might easily have precluded him from such prominence in the German literary world: Fried was forced to flee from his native country after the annexation of Austria by the National Socialists in 1938 and he spent the remainder of his life in an English-speaking environment. His work often has a political dimension and is characterised by a keen sensitivit

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First published 22 March 2005

Citation: W. Lawrie, Steven. "Erich Fried". The Literary Encyclopedia. 22 March 2005

[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5894, accessed 30 July 2010.]

 

Life, Works and Times

Dates:

  • 1921 to 1988 (Life Span)
  • 1938 to 1988 (Activity Span)

Places:

  • Austria (Birth)
  • Austria (Primary Activity)
  • Germany (Primary Activity)

Cultural Identities:

  • Jewish (European) (Primary)

Activities:

  • Poet (Primary)
  • Translator (Primary)
  • Dramatist/ Playwright (Other)
  • Librettist (Other)
  • Novelist (Other)
  • Political writer (Other)