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Ernst Pawel

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Ernst Pawel(January 23, 1920 – August 16, 1994) was a German American biographer, novelist, and translator who worked primarily forNew York Life Insurancefrom 1946 to 1982. Pawel wrote about theHolocaustandSigmund Freudin three novels from 1951 to 1960. From 1954 to 1965 Pawel translated books byGeorges SimenonandLotte Lehman.

During the 1980s, Pavel released biographies ofFranz KafkaandTheodor Herzl.Following his death in 1994, Pawel's biography ofHeinrich Heineand his own memoir were released.The Nightmare of Reason: A Life of Franz Kafkawon theLos Angeles Times Book Prize for Biographyand was nominated for the American Book Award for Nonfiction in 1984.

Early life and education[edit]

Pawel was born inBreslau, Germanyon January 23, 1920, to Jewish parents.[1][2]AfterAdolf Hitlertook over Germany in 1933, Pawel went toYugoslaviawith his mother and father.[3]While inBelgradeduring his teens, Pawel worked at a bookstore.[4]He also "joined clandestine Communist and Zionist youth groups".[5]During the late 1930s, Pawel moved to the United States.[6]For his post-secondary education, Pawel went toCity Collegeand theNew School for Social Research.[3]

Career[edit]

Positions[edit]

Pawel began working for theSerbian Dailywhile he lived in New York.[7]Pawel was part of theOffice of Strategic ServicesduringWorld War II.[3]Throughout the war, Pawel was a translator from the early to mid 1940s. After being hired byNew York Life Insurancein 1946, Pawel expanded his career topublic relationswhile continuing to work in translation.[8][9]While at New York Life, Pawel wanted to leave during the first month of his position, but he stayed with the company until 1982.[10][6]

Works[edit]

Pawel wrote about theHolocaustinThe Island in Time.[11]This 1951 book took place at a fictional Italianrefugee camp.[9]Pawel set his 1957 bookFrom the Dark Towerat an American insurance company. It was about the main character's behavioral changes after the suicide of his Boss.[12]In 1960, Pawel releasedIn the Absence of Magic.Taking place on an island, it was about two former followers ofSigmund Freud.[13]

Pawel co-translated poetry byGeorges Simenonin 1954.[14]In 1965, Pawel was the sole translator of aLotte Lehmanwork about opera byRichard Strauss.[15]The following year, Pawel translated a book onnuclear strategybyRaymond Aron.[1]

In 1984 Pawel wroteThe Nightmare of Reason: A Life of Franz Kafka.[16]In this book, Pawel included a "political and social background of... turn-of-the-century Prague".[17]In 1989, Pawel releasedThe Labyrinth of Exile: A Life of Theodor Herzl.[18]In a review by theBoston Globe,Harry Zohn said Pawel "[editorialized], [vented] some of his personal prejudices and [made] misstatements" with his Herzl book.[19]

In 1995, Pawel'sLife in Dark Ages: A MemoirandThe Poet Dying:Heinrich Heine's Last Years in Pariswere posthumously published, his daughter having completed the memoir.[4][20]InLife in Dark Ages: A Memoir,Pawel wrote about his life from the 1920s to the 1940s.[5][21]

Nomination and awards[edit]

When the American Book Awards replaced theNational Book Awardsduring the 1980s, Pawel was nominated for the 1984 American Book Award for Nonfiction withThe Nightmare of Reason.[22][23]That year,The Nightmare of Reasonreceived theLos Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography.[24]In 1985, Pawel received the Alfred Harcourt Award forThe Nightmare of Reason.[25]

Personal life and death[edit]

Pawel had two children during his marriage. On August 16, 1994, he died inGreat Neck, New Yorkfromlung cancer.[8][10]

References[edit]

  1. ^abTrosky, Susan M., ed. (1991)."Pawel, Ernst 1920-".Contemporary Authors.Vol. 131. Detroit and London: Gale Research Inc. p. 359.ISBN081031956X.RetrievedOctober 4,2022.
  2. ^Shapiro, Elliot (July 23, 1995). "A man immersed in the themes of Judasim".The Buffalo News.p. G-8.
  3. ^abcColby, Vineta, ed. (1995)."Pawel, Ernst".World Authors, 1985-1990.Wilson Authors Series. New York and Dublin: The H. W. Wilson Company. p. 662.ISBN0824208757.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  4. ^abSchaer, Sidney C. (August 18, 1994). "Ernst Pawel, 74, Wrote Franz Kafka Biography".Newsday.Nassau. p. A61.
  5. ^abHarris, Michael (July 18, 1995). "One Man's Tale of the Holocaust and Human Suffering".Los Angeles Times.p. E7.
  6. ^abSinger, David; Seldin, Ruth R., eds. (1996)."Pawel, Ernst".American Jewish Year Book 1996.Vol. 96. New York: The American Jewish Committee. p. 559.ISBN0874951100.RetrievedOctober 4,2022.
  7. ^Gilson, Estelle (November–December 1995)."Growing Up in History".Congress Monthly.Vol. 62, no. 6. The American Jewish Congress. p. 20.RetrievedOctober 8,2022.
  8. ^ab"Ernst Pawel, 74, Biographer, Dies".The New York Times.August 19, 1994. p. A24.RetrievedOctober 8,2022.
  9. ^abWildhack, William (June 23, 1951). "DP Jews; Plight Is Expertly Told".The Indianapolis News.p. 2.
  10. ^abChristy, Desmond (August 26, 1994). "Ernst Pawel".The Guardian.sec. Second p. 18.
  11. ^"Kafka the focus of biographer's talk at the Rockland Center for the Arts".The Journal-News.April 23, 1987. sec. Weekend p. 12.
  12. ^F. G. H. (June 30, 1957). "Rebellion Against Conformity".The Philadelphia Inquirer.p. B 23.
  13. ^Lewin, Jacqueline (April 24, 1960). "Difficult Novel of Ideas".The Boston Globe.p. C—23.
  14. ^Price, Blanche (March 7, 1954). "Facile Narrative".The Hartford Courant Magazine.p. Eighteen.
  15. ^Stevenson, Samuel W. (February 28, 1965). "Five Operas As Strauss Wrote Them".Richmond Times-Dispatch.p. L-9.
  16. ^Shloss, Carol (May 27, 1984). "A chronicle of homelessness".The Philadelphia Inquirer.p. sec. H p. 1.
  17. ^Eder, Richard (July 7, 1984). "Biography sketches Kafka's real world".The Gazette.Montreal, Quebec. The Los Angeles Times. p. I-1.
  18. ^Zohn, Harry (December 10, 1989). "A richly-detailed examination of the father of Zionism".The Boston Globe.p. B40.
  19. ^Zohn 1989, p. B41
  20. ^"Novelist Ernst Pawel".The Muncie Star.The Wire Services. August 20, 1994. p. 3C.
  21. ^Siegel, Lee (August 27, 1995). "Laughing at Death".Newsday.sec. FanFare p. 37.
  22. ^Fehrman, Craig (October 30, 2011)."The Short, Unsuccessful Life of the American Book Awards".The New York Times.RetrievedSeptember 29,2022.
  23. ^Taylor, Robert (October 18, 1984). "11 finalists for American Book Awards".The Boston Globe.p. 40.
  24. ^"6 Honored at Fifth Annual L. A. Times Book Awards".The Los Angeles Times.November 3, 1984. sec. Part 1 p. 30.
  25. ^"Ernst Pawel Honored With Harcourt Award".The New York Times.May 29, 1985. p. sec C p. 21.RetrievedSeptember 29,2022.
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