Alfred Döblin

Alfred Döblin, born Bruno Alfred Döblin on 10 August 1878, died on 26 June 1957. He was a German novelist, essayist and doctor, best known for the novel Berlin Alexanderplatz of 1929, and is counted among the most important figures of German literary modernism. His work spans more than half a century and includes over a dozen novels, from historical novels to science fiction to novels of the modern metropolis, along with dramas, radio plays, screenplays, essays and letters. His first published novel, Die drei Sprünge des Wang-lung, appeared in 1915 and his last, Hamlet oder Die lange Nacht nimmt ein Ende, in 1956. Born in Stettin, he lived in Berlin for most of forty-five years, was forced into exile by the Nazi dictatorship in 1933, and spent the war years in Los Angeles, where he converted to Catholicism. Although Berlin Alexanderplatz has canonic status, he is often described as an under-recognized author.