Ulrich Becher

Ulrich Becher (2 January 1910 in Berlin – 15 April 1990 in Basel) was a German author and playwright.

Overview

After attending the Freie Schulgemeinde in Wickersdorf, Ulrich Becher studied law in Berlin. During his school years he had already made the acquaintance of George Grosz, who had taken on the talented youth as his only pupil.

In 1932 his novella series Männer machen Fehler ("Men Make Mistakes") was published by Rowohlt Verlag. On the assumption of power by the Nazi Party in 1933, his work was condemned as "degenerate" literature, and he was the youngest writer to have his works thrown into a book-burning fire (see degenerate art for more information). On 11 November 1933 he married Dana, daughter of the Austrian author Alexander Roda Roda and consequently took Austrian citizenship. As the son of the Swiss pianist Elisabeth Ulrich, he hoped he would be able to live in Switzerland as an author, however in the eyes of the Swiss authorities his anti-fascist stance went against Switzerland's neutrality policy. He was consequently denied a work permit and was driven to emigrate. At the last minute, Becher and his wife succeeded in escaping to Brazil via Portugal in 1941. Efforts to obtain a visa to enter the United States were to last three years. At last, Becher was granted permission to enter the country and settled in New York near his parents and parents-in-law.

In 1948 he returned to Europe with Der Bockerer ("Bockerer"), a completed theatre play that he had created with Peter Preses, which went on to have great success in Vienna (and which was turned into a film in 1981 by Franz Antel). In 1954 he settled in Basel, and in 1976 he won the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Swiss Schiller Foundation.

Selected works

External links