author
Klabund
1890–1928
A brilliant, restless voice of early 20th-century German literature, he wrote with unusual range, moving from poetry and novels to plays and sharp political writing. His work mixed lyric grace, satire, and a fascination with Chinese literature and theater.
1 Audiobook
Die Krankheit: Eine Erzählung
by Klabund
About the author
Born Alfred Henschke in Crossen an der Oder on November 4, 1890, he became known by the pen name Klabund, a name often explained as joining Klabautermann and Vagabund. He studied in Munich, Lausanne, and Berlin, but tuberculosis shaped much of his short life and forced long stays in sanatoriums.
Even so, he published prolifically: poems, novels, stories, essays, and plays. He became especially well known for works such as Der Kreidekreis, which drew on Chinese sources, and for his energetic interest in adapting and introducing Chinese literature to German readers. His writing could be playful, lyrical, political, and biting all at once.
Klabund died on August 14, 1928, in Davos, Switzerland, at just 37. Though his life was brief, he remains a distinctive figure of the Weimar-era literary world, remembered for his versatility, his modern sensibility, and the speed and intensity with which he wrote.