Walter Flex

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Walter Flex, 1887-1917, was a German author responsible for Wanderer zwischen beiden Welten (The Wanderer between Two Worlds), a stunning war novel dealing with themes of humanity, friendship and suffering in the trenches of World War I.

Born in Eisenach to a secondary school teacher, he went to the University of Erlangen where he studied German, thanks to the award of a bursary. In his brief life prior to the outbreak of war he worked as a teacher, publishing, amongst other works, Das Volk in Eisen and Sonne und Schild, a series of well received nationalist works. As a song, his poem Wildgänse rauschen durch die Nacht gained popularity with the Wandervogel youth and was well known and sung in Germany until the 1970ies.

He served as a soldier from 1914, was injured in action and died on October 16, 1917 at Oti Manor, Saaremaa, Estonia.

His Wanderer between Two Worlds was published posthumously, by München Verlag, and was well received. His reputation grew in the post-war years and he was exploited by the Nazi party, who found his evocative and romantic lyricism especially appealing.

After World War II his reputation sadly faded almost entirely.