Kurt Tucholsky

Kurt Tucholsky (Berlin, January 9, 1890 – December 21, 1935 in Gothenburg) was a German journalist, satirist and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser, Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger und Ignaz Wrobel.

Tucholsky's life

Youth, school and studies

Kurt Tucholsky's parents' house, where he was born on January 9, 1890, was located at 13 Lübecker Straße in Berlin-Moabit. However, he spent his early childhood in Stettin where his father had been transferred for work reasons. The Jewish bank cashier Alex Tucholsky had married his cousin Doris Tucholski in 1887 and had three children with her: Kurt, their oldest son, Fritz and Ellen. In 1899, the family returned to Berlin.

Related Topics:
January 9 - 1890 - Berlin - Moabit - Stettin - Jew - 1899

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While Tucholsky's relationship with his mother was strained throughout his live, he loved and respected his father. However, by 1905, Alex Tucholsky had already died as a result of a syphilis infection. To his wife and children he left a considerable fortune, which enabled his oldest son to carry out his studies without any financal worries.

Related Topics:
1905 - Syphilis

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Kurt Tucholsky started school at the French Grammar School (das Französische Gymnasium) in 1899. In 1903 he transferred to the Königliche Wilhelms-Gymnasium, but he left there in 1907 to prepare for his Abitur with a private tutor. After taking his Abitur examinations in 1909, he began studying Law in Berlin in October of the same year, spending his second semester in Geneva at the start of 1910.

Related Topics:
Gymnasium - 1899 - 1903 - 1907 - Abitur - 1909 - Law - October - Geneva - 1910

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Even during his studies, Tucholsky's interests turned to literature. Thus he travelled to Prague in September 1911 with his friend Kurt Szafranski in order to surprise his favourite author Max Brod with a visit and a miniature landscape that he had made himself. After meeting Tucholsky, Brod's friend and fellow author Franz Kafka had this to say about him in his diary:

Related Topics:
Literature - Prague - September - 1911 - Kurt Szafranski - Max Brod - Franz Kafka

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:"... a wholly consistent person of 21. From the controlled and powerful swing of his walking stick which gives a youthful lift to his shoulders to the deliberate delight in and contempt for his own literary works. Wants to be a defence lawyer, ..."

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Yet, despite his later doctorate, Tucholsky never went on to a legal career: his inclination towards literature and journalism was stronger.

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