Herbert Reinecker
Encyclopedia
Herbert Reinecker was a very prolific German
novelist, dramatist and screenwriter.
Born in Hagen
, Westphalia
, Reinecker began to write short stories
already as a high school student. In 1936 he moved to Berlin
, where he became editor-in-chief of a youth magazine, Jungvolk. In the same year he also co-authored a book, Jugend in Waffen (Armed Youth). This was a time when the Nazis
had already been in power for three years and when the media had long been gleichgeschaltet
. In 1943 he was editor-in-chief of a book entitled Der Pimpf about the training system of the Hitler Youth
.
In the early 1940s Reinecker also wrote a number of plays, among them Das Dorf bei Odessa and Der Mann mit der Geige. In 1944
he wrote an award-winning screenplay
, Junge Adler (Young Eagles).
After the war, he started working for radio and television. At the same time he wrote screenplays for the series of German feature films of the 1960s that were loosely based on Edgar Wallace
's novels as well as TV adaptations of Francis Durbridge
novels and plays.
In the late 1960s Reinecker and producer Helmut Ringelmann
wanted to create a truly German police detective. At first tentatively conceived as a "German Maigret
", Reinecker's Kommissar Keller soon metamorphosed into a full-fledged character. Erik Ode
was chosen to play Keller in the TV series, Der Kommissar, which was finally launched in 1969 and which became a huge success. In 1974, Reinecker and Ringelmann started a new, similar series, Derrick
.
Herbert Reinecker is reported to have stopped writing due to a severe illness.
He died on 27 January 2007. http://www.rp-online.de/public/article/aktuelles/gesellschaft/medien/405245
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...
novelist, dramatist and screenwriter.
Born in Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, Reinecker began to write short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
already as a high school student. In 1936 he moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he became editor-in-chief of a youth magazine, Jungvolk. In the same year he also co-authored a book, Jugend in Waffen (Armed Youth). This was a time when the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
had already been in power for three years and when the media had long been gleichgeschaltet
Gleichschaltung
Gleichschaltung , meaning "coordination", "making the same", "bringing into line", is a Nazi term for the process by which the Nazi regime successively established a system of totalitarian control and tight coordination over all aspects of society. The historian Richard J...
. In 1943 he was editor-in-chief of a book entitled Der Pimpf about the training system of the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
.
In the early 1940s Reinecker also wrote a number of plays, among them Das Dorf bei Odessa and Der Mann mit der Geige. In 1944
1944 in literature
The year 1944 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Samuel Hopkins Adams – Canal Town*Jorge Amado – Terras do Sem Fim *Saul Bellow – Dangling Man*Jorge Luis Borges – Fictions...
he wrote an award-winning 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...
, Junge Adler (Young Eagles).
After the war, he started working for radio and television. At the same time he wrote screenplays for the series of German feature films of the 1960s that were loosely based on Edgar Wallace
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace was an English crime writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and numerous articles in newspapers and journals....
's novels as well as TV adaptations of Francis Durbridge
Francis Durbridge
Francis Henry Durbridge was an English playwright and author. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School in Yorkshire where he was encouraged to write by his English teacher. He continued to do so whilst studying English at Birmingham University...
novels and plays.
In the late 1960s Reinecker and producer Helmut Ringelmann
Helmut Ringelmann
Helmut Ringelmann was a German film and television producer.Ringelmann was born in Munich, he produced a number of television series including the long running Der Kommissar from 1968 to 1974. He is best remembered as the Producer of the Derrick TV series.Ringelmann died in his house in Grünwald...
wanted to create a truly German police detective. At first tentatively conceived as a "German Maigret
Maigret
Jules Maigret, Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a fictional police detective, actually a commissaire or commissioner of the Paris "Brigade Criminelle" , created by writer Georges Simenon.Seventy-five novels and twenty-eight short stories about Maigret were published between 1931 and...
", Reinecker's Kommissar Keller soon metamorphosed into a full-fledged character. Erik Ode
Erik Ode
Erik Ode was a German actor who was most famous for playing Kommissar Herbert Keller in the German television drama Der Kommissar . He married Hilde Volk in 1942.-External links:** * *...
was chosen to play Keller in the TV series, Der Kommissar, which was finally launched in 1969 and which became a huge success. In 1974, Reinecker and Ringelmann started a new, similar series, Derrick
Derrick (TV series)
Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a...
.
Herbert Reinecker is reported to have stopped writing due to a severe illness.
He died on 27 January 2007. http://www.rp-online.de/public/article/aktuelles/gesellschaft/medien/405245