author
Otto Buchmann
b. 1886
A German writer and poet from Braunschweig, he brought a lyrical, reflective tone to his fiction and also had an unexpected second life as a top athlete. Before turning fully to literature, he worked as a bookseller and even won the 1908 German high jump championship.
1 Audiobook
Auf alten Wegen : Novellen
by Otto Buchmann
About the author
Born on April 10, 1886, in Braunschweig, he came from a north German farming family. After attending secondary school, he studied for a time without apparently taking a degree, and worked as a bookseller before building a literary career.
His first volume of poetry appeared in 1913. He went on to write poems, novellas, and novels, and his work is remembered for its thoughtful, often nostalgic mood. Public-domain editions of his writing, including Auf alten Wegen, have helped keep his work accessible to new readers.
He also stood out in sport: in 1908 he became German champion in the high jump. Some details of his later life are less clearly documented in the sources I found, including the exact date of his death, so it is best to treat parts of his final years with caution.