Lissauer, Ernst, 1882-1937

Ernst Lissauer was born in Berlin on December 10, 1882. His father, Hugo Lissauer (1843-1910) was a merchant in the silk trade and also became city counselor for Charlottenburg. He was also one of the founders of the Berliner Reformgemeinde . Ernst Lissauer's mother was Zerline Wohl, neé Friedeberger. She was the second wife of Hugo Lissauer. Ernst Lissauer was their only son, but Hugo had three children from his first marriage.

Ernst Lissauer attended the Friedrich Werdersche Gymnasium from 1898-1901. After receiving his diploma, studied literature in Berlin, Leipzig and Munich until 1905. In 1907, his first collection of poetry Der Acker was published; another collection of poety, Der Strom, followed in 1912. His most famous poem was Hassgesang gegen England, which he wrote in 1914 at the beginning of World War I. He served as a volunteer in the war and edited the German sections of the Feldwochenschrift, which was published in German and Hungarian from 1917 to 1918. At the end of the war he was transferred to Berlin, where he worked in the media department of the Kriegsministerium (Ministry of War). Starting in 1919, Lissauer also wrote plays. His biggest success was the comedy Gewalt, which was performed for the first time in Frankfurt in 1924. In 1920, his first wife Marie Willfuhr, whom he had married in 1911, was committed to a mental institution; she died in 1924. In 1923, Lissauer moved to Vienna, where he stayed for the rest of his life. In 1929, he married Margarete (Grete) Langner, who had become his secretary in 1913. Starting in 1933, Lissauer was no longer allowed to publish in Germany. His last collection of poems was published in Vienna in 1936. He died on December 10, 1937 from pneumonia and is buried on the Jewish cemetery in Vienna.

From the guide to the Ernst Lissauer Collection, 1896-1960, (Leo Baeck Institute)