The prominent poet, playwright, and prose writer Gertrud Kolmar was born Gertrud Käthe Chodziesner on 10 December 1894 in the middle class Nikolaiviertel of Berlin. She was the first daughter of the attorney and German patriot Ludwig Chodziesner and his wife Elise, née Schönflies, who was Walter Benjamin's aunt. Kolmar's extended family also included Hilde Benjamin, the German Democratic Republic's Secretary of Justice. In 1897 her sister Margot was born, in 1900 her brother Georg, and in 1905 her sister Hilde. Hilde was also the recipient of Kolmar's last letters written before her deportation on 2 March 1943 to Auschwitz, where she died. Hilde and her divorced husband Peter Wenzel made every effort to keep Kolmar's legacy alive in postwar Germany.
Kolmar's pen name is a variation on
1399 words
Citation: Lorenz, Dagmar C. G.. "Gertrud Kolmar". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 March 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5612, accessed 23 November 2024.]
