Albert Ehrenstein

Born on December 23, 1886, in Vienna, he became one of the notable figures associated with German-language Expressionism. He wrote poetry, fiction, and essays, and his work is often described as rejecting conventional middle-class values while reaching outward to other cultures, especially China.

His life was marked by upheaval. As a Jewish writer working in the German language, he was forced into exile during the Nazi era and spent years moving between countries before eventually reaching the United States. That experience of dislocation left a deep mark on his career and reputation.

He died on April 8, 1950. Though he is not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries, he remains an important part of the Expressionist tradition, remembered for intense, cosmopolitan writing and for bringing an unusual global curiosity to German-language literature.