Max Kretzer
Max Kretzer was a German writer. He left school at the age of thirteen and worked in a factory for twelve years. He became a prolific and successful novelist in the social realist style, depicting common working people.
Life
Max Kretzer was born on 7 June 1854 in Posen, then in Prussia.His father was the main tenant of the Odeum, an establishment in which the provincial bourgeoisie held cultural events.
His father attempted to establish himself as an innkeeper, but failed.
With the family impoverished, at the age of 13 Max Kretzer had to leave school.
He moved to Berlin, where his father worked as a craftsman, and for twelve years worked in a factory.
Although poorly educated, Kretzer began a career as a self-taught writer after an accident at work in 1879.
He joined the Social Democrats the same year.
At first he published short sketches, then a long series of novels, which sold about one million copies in his lifetime.
At that period this was a large number.
Despite this success, Kretzer was often poverty-stricken.
After 1933 Kretzer sympathized with Nazism. He died on 15 July 1941 in Berlin.
Work
Kretzer's work shows an ethical and increasingly Christian socialism, e.g. in "Das Gesicht Christi", in which Jesus appears and fights "modern" degeneracy.He was one of the first naturalist writers, and the first to describe crafts and industrial workers.
He was seen by his contemporaries as "the pioneer of the Berlin novel".
Works include:Die beiden Genossen , Berlin 1880Strange Enthusiast, Berlin, 2 volumes Die Betrogenen , Berlin, 2 volumes Schwarzkittel oder die Geheimnisse des Lichthofes , Leipzig 1882Berliner Novellen und Sittenbilder, Jena
- * Vol. 1. Polizeiberichte, 1883
- * Vol. 2. Die Zweiseelenmenschen, 1883Gesammelte Berliner Skizzen, Berlin 1883Die Verkommenen, Berlin, 2 volumes, 1883Im Sturmwind des Socialismus, Berlin 1884Drei Weiber, Jena, 2 volumes, 1886Im Riesennest, Leipzig 1886Im Sündenbabel, Leipzig 1886Bürgerlicher Tod, Dresden 1888Meister Timpe, Berlin 1888Ein verschlossener Mensch, Leipzig, 2 volumes. Das bunte Buch, Dresden 1889Die Bergpredigt, Dresden, 2 volumes, 1890Onkel Fifi, Berlin 1890Gefärbtes Haar, Dresden 1891 Der Millionenbauer, Leipzig ; historischer Hintergrund siehe: Millionenbauern, 2 volumes, 1891Der Millionenbauer, Leipzig 1891 Irrlichter und Gespenster, Weimar, 3 volumes, 1892–93Der Baßgeiger. Das verhexte Buch, Leipzig 1894Die Buchhalterin, Dresden 1894Die gute Tochter, Dresden 1895Ein Unberühmter und andere Geschichten, Dresden 1895Der Blinde. Maler Ulrich, Dresden 1896Das Gesicht Christi, Leipzig 1896Frau von Mitleid und andere Novellen, Berlin 1896Furcht vor dem Heim und andere Novellen, Leipzig 1897Berliner Skizzen, Berlin 1898Der Sohn der Frau, Dresden 1899Verbundene Augen, Berlin, 2 volumes, 1899Großstadtmenschen, Berlin 1900Der Holzhändler, Berlin, 2 volumes, 1900Die Kunst zu heirathen, Berlin 1900Die Verderberin, Berlin 1900Warum?, Leipzig 1900Die Madonna vom Grunewald, Leipzig 1901Das Räthsel des Todes und andere Geschichten, Dresden 1901Der wandernde Thaler, Leipzig 1902Magd und Knecht, Berlin 1903Die Sphinx in Trauer, Berlin 1903Treibende Kräfte, Berlin-Charlottenburg 1903Familiensklaven, Berlin 1904Das Armband, Berlin 1905Der Mann ohne Gewissen, Berlin 1905Was ist Ruhm?, Berlin-Charlottenburg, 1905Herbststurm, Berlin-Charlottenburg 1906Das Kabarettferkel und andere neue Berliner Geschichten, Berlin 1907 Leo Lasso, Jauer 1907Söhne ihrer Väter, Jauer 1907Das Hinterzimmer, Jauer 1908Mut zur Sünde, Glogau 1909Reue, Leipzig 1910Waldemar Tempel, Leipzig 1911Die blanken Knöpfe, Leipzig 1912Lebensbilder, Leipzig 1912Das Mädchen aus der Fremde, Leipzig 1913Steh auf und wandle, Leipzig 1913 Gedichte, Dresden 1914Der irrende Richter, Dresden 1914Die alten Kämpen, Berlin 1916Berliner Geschichten, Berlin 1916Ignaz Serbynski, Berlin 1918Der Nachtmensch, Berlin 1918Kreuz und Geißel, Leipzig 1919Was das Leben spinnt, Berlin 1919Wilder Champagner, Leipzig 1919Assessor Lankens Verlobung, Berlin 1920Fidus Deutschling, Germanias Bastard, Dessau 1921Die Locke, Berlin 1922Der Rückfall des Doktor Horatius, Leipzig 1935Meister Timpe, Berlin: Das Neue Berlin, 1949