Oskar Maria Graf

Born in 1894 in Berg, Bavaria, Oskar Maria Graf grew up in a baker's family and left school young. He went on to become a writer known for direct, lively prose and for stories rooted in everyday life, especially in Bavaria.

Graf was outspoken in his opposition to the Nazi regime. In 1933, after seeing that his books had been left off the Nazis' blacklist, he publicly demanded that his works be banned as well, refusing any suggestion that he belonged with approved writers. He later lived in exile, eventually settling in New York, where he continued writing.

He published novels, memoirs, and essays, and he remained closely identified with the experiences of common people rather than literary fashion. Graf died in 1967, but he is still remembered as both a major Bavarian voice and a writer who treated political conscience as part of an author's job.