Bernhard Kellermann

Bernhard Kellermann (1879-1951) was a German author and poet. Beginning in 1904 he built a reputation as a novelist with early works such as "Yester and Li," "The Fool," and "Ingeborg," which reached extraordinary success. After journeys in the United States and Japan, he wrote "Das Meer" (The Sea), made into film by Peter Paul Felner. His main work was "Der Tunnel" in 1913, which became one of the most successful books of the first half of the 20th Century and was translated into 25 languages. The book has been adapted to film four times. His critical novel "The Ninth November," about the behavior of soldiers and officers in relation to the people, was banned and burned publicly by the Nazis. Kellermann's commitment in the postwar years to East Germany caused a boycott of West German booksellers. Shortly before his death in 1951 he rallied the writers of both German states to push for unified deliberations.