Fritz von Unruh

Born on May 10, 1885, in Koblenz, Fritz von Unruh became a German writer, poet, painter, and speaker associated with literary Expressionism. He came from a Prussian military family, a background that shaped his early life and later gave extra force to his criticism of war and authoritarian values.

Unruh is best known for plays and prose that wrestle with the human cost of conflict. His work gained attention in the years around and after the First World War, when many readers saw him as one of the writers trying to give language to moral shock, political upheaval, and the need for renewal.

After the rise of the Nazi regime, he lived in exile and continued his literary and public work abroad. He died on November 28, 1970, in Diez an der Lahn, leaving behind a body of writing closely linked with the conscience and emotional intensity of German Expressionism.