author
Melchior Vischer
1895–1975
A bohemian-born German writer and director linked to Dada and Merz, he is best remembered for the wild, fast-moving experimental novel Sekunde durch Hirn. His work carries the energy of the avant-garde while still feeling sharp, playful, and strange.
3 Audiobooks
Der Hase: Eine Erzählung
by Melchior Vischer
Der Teemeister
by Melchior Vischer
Sekunde durch Hirn: Ein unheimlich schnell rotierender Roman
by Melchior Vischer
About the author
Born Emil Walter Kurt Fischer in Teplitz-Schönau, then in Austria-Hungary, he wrote under the name Melchior Vischer and later lived and worked in Prague and Berlin. Reliable biographical sources describe him as a German writer and director of bohemian or Czech origin, born on January 7, 1895, and died in Berlin on April 21, 1975.
Vischer is closely associated with the Dada and Merz circles. His early work was shaped by the experimental spirit of those movements, and his 1920 short novel Sekunde durch Hirn is the title most often singled out when his writing is discussed. Sources also note that he studied subjects including German studies, art history, philosophy, and mathematics in Prague, while working for the Prager Presse.
Although he is not a household name today, Vischer remains an intriguing figure for readers interested in literary modernism, Central European culture, and the more playful edges of the avant-garde. His writing stands out for its speed, odd humor, and refusal to behave like a conventional novel.