Wiens, Paul |
| POET, NOVELIST, TRANSLATOR (GERMANY) |
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BORN 17 Aug 1922, Königsberg (now: Kaliningrad) - DIED 6 Apr 1982, Berlin GRAVE LOCATION Berlin: Städtischer Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde, Gudrunstrasse, Lichtenberg (8) |
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Paul Wiens was the son of a Jewish mother. He grew up in Berlin until his mother moved to Switzerland after the nazis came to power in 1933. There he studied philosophy in Geneva and Lausanne. In 1943 he was arrested in Vienna and he was imprisoned in concentration camp Oberlanzendorf until 1945. After the war he returned to Germany. First he went to Weimar and then to Berlin, where he worked for the publishing house Aufbau-Verlag until 1950. At that time he published his first poems and from 1952 onwards he was a professional author. He wrote novels and scripts for movies like Frank Vogels' "Und deine Liebe auch" (1962). He translated work from Pablo Neruda and others. He was a member of the P.E.N.-Zentrum Ost and vice president of the Kulturbund of the DDR. During the 1960s he worked as an informer for the Stasi and during his marriage to Irmtraud Morgner (1972-1977) he passed information on her to the authorities. Wiens died in 1982 and was buried at the 'socialist cemetery' Friedrichsfelde. His daughter Maja Wiens is also an author. Family • Wife: Morgner, Irmtraud (1972-1977) |
| Images |
 The grave of Paul Wiens at the Städtischer Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde, Berlin. Picture by Androom (14 Nov 2004) |
Sources • Hoffmann, Joachim, Berlin Friedrichsfelde, Ein Deutscher Nationalfriedhof, Das Neue Berlin, Berlin, 2001 • Paul Wiens - Wikipedia (DE) |
