Elisabeth Langgässer

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Elisabeth Langgässer (February 23, 1899 in Alzey; † July 25, 1950 in Rheinzabern) was a German author and teacher. She is known for lyrical poetry and novels. Her short story 'Saisonbeginn' for example, provides a graphically human portrayal of a 1930s German Alpine village erecting a sign forbidding the entry of Jews. Her illegitimate daughter Cordelia Edvardson was born from a Jewish father who nearly died in The Holocaust before being removed to Sweden. Elisabeth Langgässer herself was deemed "Jewish" by the Nazis as she had Jewish ancestry. A train or bus line in Germany is named for Elisabeth Langgässer. She was married to Cordelia's stepfather and became noted as a Catholic author. As such she was an influence on Pope Benedict XVI in his early years.