Richard Tüngel
Encyclopedia
Richard Tüngel was originally an architect and a longtime Director of Construction (Baudirektor) in Hamburg
. Removed from this position by the Nazis
in 1933, he went to Berlin
, where he lived until 1945 as a translator and writer. For example, one still finds his name on current German-language editions of Igor Stravinsky
's memoirs. Immediately after the war, he was one of the co-founders of Die Zeit, initially as fiction editor (Feuilletonchef) and a bit later as editor-in-chief.
After that it is remarkably difficult to find biographical information about him, not least because he had a rather inglorious departure from Die Zeit: He had to leave, after Marion Dönhoff
had provoked a scandal by enforcing a decision concerning the political line of the paper. Tüngel, who was described by his successor as editor-in-chief as "...helpful and inconvenient. Brilliant and the embodiment of antagonism and artistic temperament," (Ralf Dahrendorf
in his biography of Gerd Bucerius
), stood politically on the right
and was steering Die Zeit into a current "farther right than the CDU" (the German Christian Democratic Union
). In 1955, the "difficult, but at the same time respected and feared" man (Dahrendorf's expression, again) had to resign. The years-long arguments between Bucerius and the newspaper's co-founders, which had started as early as 1949, ended in 1956 because Tüngel was no longer a partner.
The book Auf dem Bauche sollst du kriechen... Deutschland unter den Besatzungsmächten (Upon thy belly shalt thou go... Germany under the Occupying Powers) published in 1958, which Tüngel wrote together with journalist Hans Rudolf Berndorff, is sometimes referred to as his "memoirs". The book was reissued by Matthes & Seitz Berlin Verlag under the title Stunde Null. Deutschland unter den Besatzungsmächten (Zero Hour: Germany under the Occupying Powers). In this work, the two authors describe their experience of the immediate post-war years, and so one learns a bit about the founding of Die Zeit. Beyond that, one must form one's own opinion of this man, who does not make it easy to form a simple verdict. Those that would like to see a balanced, but critical, view can take a look at the German-language Die Herren Journalisten. Die Elite der deutschen Presse nach 1945 (The gentlemen journalists: the elite of the German press after 1945) by Lutz Hachmeister and Friedemann Siering, (Beck, Munich, 2002). He is of course also mentioned in the biographies of Marion Dönhoff, e.g. the one by Alice Schwarzer, and in the correspondence between Dönhoff and Gerd Bucerius, published in 2004.
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Removed from this position by 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...
in 1933, he went 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 lived until 1945 as a translator and writer. For example, one still finds his name on current German-language editions of Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's memoirs. Immediately after the war, he was one of the co-founders of Die Zeit, initially as fiction editor (Feuilletonchef) and a bit later as editor-in-chief.
After that it is remarkably difficult to find biographical information about him, not least because he had a rather inglorious departure from Die Zeit: He had to leave, after Marion Dönhoff
Marion Dönhoff
Marion Hedda Ilse Gräfin von Dönhoff was a German journalist who participated in the resistance against Hitler's National Socialists with Helmuth James Graf von Moltke, Peter Yorck von Wartenburg, and Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. After the war, she became one of the leading German...
had provoked a scandal by enforcing a decision concerning the political line of the paper. Tüngel, who was described by his successor as editor-in-chief as "...helpful and inconvenient. Brilliant and the embodiment of antagonism and artistic temperament," (Ralf Dahrendorf
Ralf Dahrendorf
Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf, Baron Dahrendorf, KBE, FBA was a German-British sociologist, philosopher, political scientist and liberal politician....
in his biography of Gerd Bucerius
Gerd Bucerius
Gerd Bucerius was a German politician and journalist, one of the founding members of Die Zeit. He is the namesake of the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg and of the Bucerius Kunst Forum, an art gallery....
), stood politically on the right
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
and was steering Die Zeit into a current "farther right than the CDU" (the German Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
). In 1955, the "difficult, but at the same time respected and feared" man (Dahrendorf's expression, again) had to resign. The years-long arguments between Bucerius and the newspaper's co-founders, which had started as early as 1949, ended in 1956 because Tüngel was no longer a partner.
The book Auf dem Bauche sollst du kriechen... Deutschland unter den Besatzungsmächten (Upon thy belly shalt thou go... Germany under the Occupying Powers) published in 1958, which Tüngel wrote together with journalist Hans Rudolf Berndorff, is sometimes referred to as his "memoirs". The book was reissued by Matthes & Seitz Berlin Verlag under the title Stunde Null. Deutschland unter den Besatzungsmächten (Zero Hour: Germany under the Occupying Powers). In this work, the two authors describe their experience of the immediate post-war years, and so one learns a bit about the founding of Die Zeit. Beyond that, one must form one's own opinion of this man, who does not make it easy to form a simple verdict. Those that would like to see a balanced, but critical, view can take a look at the German-language Die Herren Journalisten. Die Elite der deutschen Presse nach 1945 (The gentlemen journalists: the elite of the German press after 1945) by Lutz Hachmeister and Friedemann Siering, (Beck, Munich, 2002). He is of course also mentioned in the biographies of Marion Dönhoff, e.g. the one by Alice Schwarzer, and in the correspondence between Dönhoff and Gerd Bucerius, published in 2004.