BERLIN PORTRAIT GALLERY - OBSTETRICIAN OF LITERATURE EPISODE 4: KURT WOLFF

Kurt Wolff — one of the greatest publishing figures of his time — called his relationship with the writer, critic and polemical moralist Karl Kraus “An encounter with the absolute.” He in turn described Wolff as a gentleman.

Passionate about literature, he even used his private wealth and that of his wife to maintain the publishing house if necessary.

In 1913 Kurt Wolff founded his own publishing house, which not only became one of the leading publishers of its time, but also the main publishing house of literary expressionism.

In addition to Karl Kraus, Wolff published books by Franz Werfel, Franz Kafka, Georg Trakl and Erich Mühsam, for example.

He had a close friendship with several authors.

The publisher — now living in exile in America — was also significantly involved in the worldwide recognition of the works of Nobel Prize winner Boris Pasternak.

With his tireless and passionate commitment to writers and their books, Kurt Wolff can be wholeheartedly called an 'obstetrician of literature, 'following his credo: “You either publish books that you think people should read, or books that you think people want to read. Second-category publishers don't count for us, do they? ”

10623 Berlin, Germania

In the lobby