On the death of Walter Kaufman

Berlin – On his 15th birthday a kinder transport to England once saved his life. This is actually the second time. Walter Kaufmann was born in Berlin on January 19, 1924, as Jishzak Schmidler; His mother was too young to take care of him. Jewish lawyer Sally Kaufman and his wife Johanna adopted him when he was two years old. He grew up with them in Duisburg until their arrest the night after the massacre in 1938. His salvation is kinder transport. Foster parents were killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp. When writer Walter Kaufman died in Berlin on Thursday at the age of 97, many life stories came to an end. Because he could not stay in London at that time. He was imprisoned as an enemy alien and soon deported to Australia. In the Australian Army, as a dock worker, farmer, butcher, wedding photographer, he learned to live and write. Since 1957 he has published numerous novels and short stories.

A little bit of global wind for the GTR

Berlin directors Karin Cuper and Dirk Sussis brought the news of his death on behalf of the family. The two are currently working on a feature documentary on Kaufman’s life, which is nearing completion. “Heart in the Wind – The Life of Walter Kaufman” is expected to hit theaters in the fall.

When Kaufman returned to Europe in the mid-1950s, he decided in favor of the GTR in the hope of a better Germany. He had his Australian passport, was allowed to travel as a journalist and writer and processed this experience into numerous reports and books. So he brought a little bit of world air to GTR, and for stylistics: he wrote his first texts in English and trained in American short story. He married actress Angela Brunner, the daughter of actress Deborah Kaufman.

From 1985 to 1993, Kaufmann was general secretary of the East German PEN Center. He published about 20 books, novels, stories or travelogues before the fall of the Berlin Wall. After the fall of the wall, the widely read author in the East was initially without a publisher. According to Berlin directors, he was actively involved in world politics until the end and was active as a writer. In recent years, for example, “Im plus der Jeet”, “Main Sensech is still on the way” and “Those who crossed my paths” have appeared. Meets for nine decades. ” He last moved to Australia in 2013. He has been awarded the Heinrich Deer Prize, the Australian Mary Gilmore Award and the Ruhr Literary Prize.