Martin Kessel
Martin Kessel was a German novelist, essayist, poet, and philosopher, born on April 14, 1901, in Plauen, Saxony. He developed a profound intellectual curiosity from a young age and pursued his studies in German literature, philosophy, music, and art at universities in Munich and Berlin, earning a Ph.D. in 1923. Kessel was associated with the Novembergroup, a collective of artists and architects advocating for modern art, where he engaged in workshops and exhibitions. His literary work often explored themes of individuality and the complex relationship between art and reality, emphasizing the importance of personal integrity in the face of societal conformity. His notable novel, "Herrn Brechers Fiasko" (1932), critiques mainstream thinking through the contrasting paths of two friends in 1920s Berlin. Kessel's provocative writings, laden with messages, faced censorship in a politically turbulent Germany, particularly during the rise of Adolf Hitler. Throughout his career, he received several prestigious awards, such as the Buechner Prize and the Great Service Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany. Despite a decline in his literary output due to health issues in the late 1960s, Kessel continued to advocate for individual agency until his death in 1990.
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Martin Kessel
Writer
- Born: April 14, 1901
- Birthplace: Plauen, Saxony, Germany
- Died: April 14, 1990
- Place of death: Berlin, Germany
Biography
Martin Kessel was born on April 14, 1901, in Plauen, Saxony, Germany. That he was destined for a life of the mind became apparent early in his childhood when he began developing a wide range of intellectual interests. He studied German literature, philosophy, music, and art at universities in Munich and Berlin and earned a Ph.D. in 1923. He became a critically acclaimed novelist, essayist, poet, and philosopher, but failed to attract a wide following.
During the 1920’s, he joined a circle of artists, theater directors, and architects known as the Novembergroup, to promote modern art, conduct workshops, and arrange exhibitions. Art was always of prime importance in his life and some of his writing dealt with the relationship between art and reality, advancing the idea that art must go beyond popular ideology. He believed that in attempting to impose order on reality, art created a counterreality that avoided the constraints of social or political opinions. In his writing, he held that people are responsible for their actions and can only achieve personal happiness if they live and act according to their own lights. If individually determined actions show poor choice, people must accept that reality and pay the consequences.
In his first major novel, Herrn Brechers Fiasko (1932; Mr. Brecher’s Fiasco, 2005), he explored the importance of maintaining individuality, of not going along with the mainstream, especially when the popular thinking was wrong. Set in 1920’s Berlin, the book dealt with two childhood acquaintances employed in the advertising department of a media organization. One of the two, Dr. Geist, has bought into the system, doing what is expected of him without comment or criticism. He achieves a kind of success in the company’s upper echelons. The other, Max Brecher, refuses to abandon his ideals and shows support for striking employees. His activism costs him his job and Geist relegates him to the world of those with no function in the larger society.
Kessel’s works were always message-ridden, which probably explains why Herrn Brechers Fiasko was removed from stores shortly after publication. The novel was published during an uneasy time in Germany, in the last hours of the Weimer Republic before the rise of Adolf Hitler. The country was in a state of chaos with mass unemployment, cultural conflict, and open hedonism. Clearly, the powers to come did not appreciate Kessel’s warning.
In a later novel, Gegengabe (1960), Kessel addressed most of life’s major questions by posing a series of aphorisms intended to promote thought. He covered language, art, politics, morals, technology, human vanities, and hypocrisy. He used an intriguing devise in an attempt to spur dialogue: the right margins of the book was extra wide, allowing space for the reader to jot down responses. One aphorism read: “Tatsachen werden eingeseift, Ideen rasiert,” (“Facts are lathered, ideas shaved”).
Kessel received a number of awards for his work, including the Buechner Prize in 1954, the Fontane Prize in 1961, and the Great Service Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1963. By the end of the 1960’s, a recurrent eye ailment forced him to abandon most of his literary endeavors. He still contended that life was a gift that each individual had the power to shape. He died in 1990.