author
Hans Siemsen
1891–1969
A sharp-eyed journalist and writer of the Weimar era, he brought theater and film to life on the page and was among the early critics to recognize Charlie Chaplin’s talent. His career was shaped by exile and return, giving his work a vivid connection to the upheavals of 20th-century Germany.
1 Audiobook
Auch ich, auch du: Aufzeichnungen eines Irren.
by Hans Siemsen
About the author
Born in 1891 in the Hamm area of Westphalia, Hans Siemsen became a German writer and journalist known for his work as a theater and film critic. He wrote for influential publications during the Weimar Republic, including Die Weltbühne, and also used the pseudonym Pfarrer Silesius.
Siemsen is remembered as an early champion of film as a serious art form. Sources describe him as one of the first critics to appreciate Charlie Chaplin, and he also praised the Danish silent-film star Asta Nielsen. Alongside journalism, he published literary work and remained an engaged public voice in German cultural life.
Archival and biographical records note that he left Germany in the 1930s, lived in exile in places including Paris and New York, and returned to West Germany after the war. He died in Essen in 1969.