Volker Bühn
Alfred Grünewald (1884–1942). Architekt, Dichter und Erotiker
Volker Bühn
Alfred Grünewald (1884–1942). Architect, poet, author of erotica
English abstract
Alfred Grünewald was born on 18th March 1884 in Vienna. After attending secondary school and Vienna University of Technology, he worked with Adolf Loos as an architect. Grünewald also published ballads and other poetry as well as aphorisms. Although his ballad cycle Mummenschanz des Todes (masquerade of death) was a success initially, he was denied literary fame in the long run. Only his volume of aphorisms entitled Ergebnisse (findings) was reprinted and can be found in literary histories of German aphorisms. Perhaps, the open praise of male youths’ beauty in the lyrical works and a conservative style contributed to the fact that many contemporaries were alienated by Grünewald’s oeuvre.
After the annexation of Austria into the Third Reich, Grünewald was detained at the concentration camp Dachau because of his Jewish background and had to leave Austria after he was released in 1939. He lived in Nice since April 1939 and was deported from there to the concentration camp Auschwitz in 1942. He was murdered there on 9th September 1942.