Herbert Jobst
Encyclopedia
Herbert Jobst was a German
writer
.
who died in World War I
. As a small child, he would be abandoned by his mother in Radeberg
and spend his youth in homes and with different foster parents
. After his attendance of the Volksschule
, he completed training as a printer
in Meissen
. In the following years, he became a member of the Sozialistische Arbeiter-Jugend (Socialist Worker Youth) the Roten Falken (Red Falcons) and Naturfreunde (Nature Friends). He would be drafted to the labour service
for the "Nazi Re-education". In 1934, Jobst went to Austria
, Italy
and Yugoslavia
, where he led the life of a vagabond and he survived by begging, provisional money of the printers guild and casual work for water. The Austrian authorities deported
him into the German Reich in 1937 where he would be drafted into the Wehrmacht
however because of the Wehrkraftzersetzung (subversion of military strength) he was quickly sent to the Military Prison Torgau. With the breakout of World War II
, he received casual work at the so-called Frontbewährung (Front Probation). Jobst participated as a soldier of the Wehrmacht at the Eastern Front
and would be imprisoned in Heiligenbeil
, East Prussia
as a Soviet prisoner of war
. Until 1947, he worked in Tscheljabinsk, Siberia
in the Camp 8 coal mine. He returned to Germany in 1947, starting as a night watchman in Dresden
. From 1948 to 1956 he worked for Wismut-AG beginning as a miner
and extraction man. Since he completed a study at the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
in 1952/53, he was promoted to climber. After his first writing attempt, he would become a member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Junger Autoren. In 1957 he moved to Flöha
, Saxony
making a living as a writer and then lived Neustrelitz
from 1967 until his death in 1990. He would marry lyrical poet Lisa Jobst.
Herbert Jobst was a writer of novel
s, narrative
s and screenplay
s. His best know work was the much read in East Germany, being the powerful autobiographical
colored Novel Tetralogy
Der dramatische Lebensweg des Adam Probst (The Dramatic Way of Life of Adam Probst). In them, the author tells the life story of a social outcast who endures Simplicius Simplicissimus thing, above all in the group Der Vagabund, in a popular, humor filled to satirical tone.
Herbert Jobst received the 1958 Heinrich Mann Prize
and the 1965 Kunstpreis des Bezirkes Karl-Marx-Stadt in addition to the Free German Trade Union Federation
Prize and Fritz Reuter Prize the same year.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Life
Herbert Jobst was the son of a miner from Neu-Welzow, LusatiaLusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
who died in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. As a small child, he would be abandoned by his mother in Radeberg
Radeberg
Radeberg is a small town located approximately 20 kilometres north-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. The company Elektronik Radeberg GmbH, formerly well known in East Germany for the production of portable television sets, is located there....
and spend his youth in homes and with different foster parents
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
. After his attendance of the Volksschule
Volksschule
A Volksschule was an 18th century system of state-supported primary schools established in the Habsburg Austrian Empire and Prussia . Attendance was supposedly compulsory, but a 1781 census reveals that only one fourth of school-age children attended. At the time, this was one of the few examples...
, he completed training as a printer
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
in Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
. In the following years, he became a member of the Sozialistische Arbeiter-Jugend (Socialist Worker Youth) the Roten Falken (Red Falcons) and Naturfreunde (Nature Friends). He would be drafted to the labour service
Labour service (Hungary)
Labour service arose in Hungary during World War II as the required military substitution for Jewish men, who were no longer permitted to serve in the regular armed forces since the passing of the Hungarian anti-Jewish laws...
for the "Nazi Re-education". In 1934, Jobst went to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, where he led the life of a vagabond and he survived by begging, provisional money of the printers guild and casual work for water. The Austrian authorities deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
him into the German Reich in 1937 where he would be drafted into the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
however because of the Wehrkraftzersetzung (subversion of military strength) he was quickly sent to the Military Prison Torgau. With the breakout of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he received casual work at the so-called Frontbewährung (Front Probation). Jobst participated as a soldier of the Wehrmacht at the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
and would be imprisoned in Heiligenbeil
Mamonovo
Mamonovo , prior to 1945 known by its German name Heiligenbeil, is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: Mamonovo is named after a Soviet Commander, Nikolai Vasilyevich Mamonov , killed in action near Pułtusk on 26 October 1944, who was posthumously given the title Hero of the Soviet...
, East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
as a Soviet prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. Until 1947, he worked in Tscheljabinsk, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
in the Camp 8 coal mine. He returned to Germany in 1947, starting as a night watchman in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. From 1948 to 1956 he worked for Wismut-AG beginning as a miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
and extraction man. Since he completed a study at the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg is a small German University of Technology with about 5000 students in the city of Freiberg, Saxony...
in 1952/53, he was promoted to climber. After his first writing attempt, he would become a member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Junger Autoren. In 1957 he moved to Flöha
Flöha
Flöha is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Flöha is situated on the confluence of the rivers Zschopau and Flöha, east of Chemnitz.-History:...
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
making a living as a writer and then lived Neustrelitz
Neustrelitz
Neustrelitz is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District. From 1738 until 1918 it was the capital of the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz...
from 1967 until his death in 1990. He would marry lyrical poet Lisa Jobst.
Herbert Jobst was a writer of novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
s and screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s. His best know work was the much read in East Germany, being the powerful autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
colored Novel Tetralogy
Tetralogy
A tetralogy is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works, just as a trilogy is made up of three works....
Der dramatische Lebensweg des Adam Probst (The Dramatic Way of Life of Adam Probst). In them, the author tells the life story of a social outcast who endures Simplicius Simplicissimus thing, above all in the group Der Vagabund, in a popular, humor filled to satirical tone.
Herbert Jobst received the 1958 Heinrich Mann Prize
Heinrich Mann Prize
The Heinrich Mann Prize is a literary award given annually by the Berlin Academy of Art . The prize given for works with socially critical aspects in a character that would honor Heinrich Mann...
and the 1965 Kunstpreis des Bezirkes Karl-Marx-Stadt in addition to the Free German Trade Union Federation
Free German Trade Union Federation
The Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund , was the trade union federation in East Germany. It was part of the National Front and had representatives in the Volkskammer....
Prize and Fritz Reuter Prize the same year.
Works
- Der Findling, Berlin 1957
- Der Zögling, Berlin 1959
- Der Vagabund, Berlin 1963
- Blick auf Irdisches, Rostock 1969 (together with Klaus Beuchler and Egon Richter)
- Der Glücksucher, Berlin 1973
- Tapetenwechsel, Berlin 1983
Literature
- Anita Heiden-Berndt (Editor): Herbert Jobst, Neubrandenburg 1981
- Stephan Gruner: Im Streit um die Geschichte, Berlin 1989