Frank Wedekind was born in Hanover as the son of the physician
F.W. Wedekind. His father, an American citizen, was opposed
to the new German empire and the family moved to Lenzburg in
Switzerland in 1871. Because of trouble at school Frank was
educated privately. In 1884 he started to study Literature in
Lausanne but according to his father's wishes he went to Munich
to study Law.
In 1885 he wrote some poetry, some prose
and a comedy. After he quarreled with his father he worked for
the press agency Maggi & Co. In 1888 his father died and Wedekind
settled in München. In 1891 he finished his play "Frühlings
Erwachen. Eine Kindertragödie". After travelling to Paris, London
and Berlin he publsied "Der Erdgeist. Tragödie in vier Aufzügen"
in 1895. In 1896 he joined the staff of the "Simplicissimus"
magazine in Munich. In the same year he had an affair with Frida
Strindberg, whose marriage to August Strindberg was failing.
In 1897 a son was born, Friedrich.
In 1897 his "Erdgeist"
was performed in Leipzig, but Wedekind fled to Zürich in 1898
after he had insulted Wilhelm II in his writings for "Simplicissimus".
He returned to Germany in 1899 to serve six months in prison
at Königstein near Dresden, where Thomas Theodor Heine was imprisoned
as well at the time.
On 22 May 1902 he had another
son by house maid Hildegard Zellner, Frank Zellner. This son
probably never saw his father. Wedekind had spent his inheritance
and from 1902 onwards he acted in his own plays to make a living.
But often his work was censored or forbidden. It was regarded
as pornographical because he used themes like sexual freedom
and man's instincts.
In 1906 he married the young actress
Tilly Newes. She had jumped into the Spree in Berlin after he
had insulted her and the next day he proposed to her. It was
a difficult marriage, but together they acted in his plays and
they had two daughters, Pamela (1906) and Kadidja (1911). Against
Tilly's wishes they moved to Munich where Wedekind was at the
centre of an intellectual circle at the Torggelstube near the
Hofbrauhaus.
In 1912 his work was performed at Max
Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater. The censors still haunted him,
but by now he slowly became famous and the public was curious
to see him and Tilly perform. But Wedekind was a jealous man
and he couldn't cope with getting older. His health failed and
he frequently threatened to leave his young wife. Tilly tried
to commit suicide in December 1917, but she survived.
Their
marriage had fallen apart, but before the divorce was final
Wedekind died after an operation. After the First World War
his work was performed all over Germany. Alban Berg based his
opera "Lulu" (1934) on Wedekind's work "Die Büchse der Pandora".
Family
• Daughter: Wedekind, Pamela
• Daughter: Wedekind, Kadidja
• Wife: Wedekind, Tilly (1906-1918, Berlin: Moabit)
Related persons
• met Andreas-Salomé, Lou
• knew Bahr, Hermann
• was a friend of Ball, Hugo
• knew Bergner, Elisabeth
• has a connection with Delvard, Marya
• was the lover of Denk, Berthe Marie
• knew Ebers, Hermann
• had work performed by Eysoldt, Gertrud
• knew Harden, Maximilian
• cooperated with Kraus, Karl
• was a friend of Monaco, Marietta di
• was a friend of Mühsam, Erich
• knew Orloff, Ida
• was a friend of Ploetz, Alfred
• cooperated with Reinhardt, Max
• knew Reventlow, Franziska Gräfin zu
• knew Sandrock, Adele
• has a connection with Wille, Bruno
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