author
Gustav Sack
1885–1916
A restless, searching voice of early twentieth-century German literature, Gustav Sack wrote about frustrated ambition, inner struggle, and the uneasy search for meaning. His best-known novel, Ein verbummelter Student, appeared after his death and quickly brought him a wider audience.
1 Audiobook
Der Rubin
by Gustav Sack
About the author
Born on October 28, 1885, in Schermbeck near Wesel, Gustav Sack was the son of a village schoolteacher. He studied German literature and natural sciences—especially biology—in Greifswald, Münster, and Halle, but never completed a degree. He also wrote under the pseudonym Ernst Schahr.
Sack produced poetry, prose, drama, and essays, much of it shaped by personal uncertainty and intellectual restlessness. His strongly autobiographical novel Ein verbummelter Student was published posthumously in 1917, followed by Ein Namenloser in 1919. His work is often associated with the early expressionist literary movement.
After serving in the First World War, Sack was killed near Finta Mare, Romania, on December 5, 1916, at the age of 31. His widow, Paula Sack, helped bring much of his remaining work to readers, including later collected editions.