author
Henry Benrath
1882–1949
A German writer who published under the name Henry Benrath, he was known for poetry, essays, and historical fiction shaped by long stays in France and Italy. His work earned major literary recognition in Germany, including the Georg Büchner Prize in 1932.
1 Audiobook
Südliche Reise
by Henry Benrath
About the author
Born Albert Heinrich Rausch in Friedberg, Hesse, on May 5, 1882, he wrote under the pen name Henry Benrath. He studied German and Romance philology and history in places including Giessen, Paris, Berlin, and Geneva, and his financial independence allowed him to devote himself fully to literature and to spend extended periods in France and Italy.
Benrath built a wide-ranging literary career as a poet, novelist, essayist, and storyteller. Reference works describe him as especially prolific in poetry and note his historical novels as an important part of his output. His writing life was closely tied to travel, culture, and European history, and he received the Georg Büchner Prize in 1932.
He died on October 11, 1949, in Magreglio near Lake Como, Italy. Though less widely known today than some of his contemporaries, he remains a notable figure in 20th-century German literature, and his books are still preserved in major literary and library collections.