Peter Weiss (1916-1982)



Was machen wir jetzt (1969)

Vad ska vi göra nu da? (German: Was machen wir jetzt?). Sweden 1958. Length: 20 minutes. A documentary film about the issues facing Swedish youths.

Biography

• 1916 - Born November 8, in Nowawes, Germany (near Berlin).
• 1919 - Family moves to Bremen, where Weiss lives until
• 1929 - Moves back to Berlin
• 1934 - Death of one of his younger sisters, Margit. This episode has a great and lingering effect on his artistic efforts, both as a painter and as a writer.
• 1935 - The family finally goes into exile, settling in Chislehurst, near London.
• 1936 - The family moves to Czechoslovakia (!), where his father becomes manager of a textile factory.
• 1937 - Weiss spends his summer in the Tessin (Ticino), in Switzerland, where he meets one of his literary idols, Hermann Hesse. Weiss had written a letter to Hesse earlier in the year, and received a reply -- an acknowledgement that meant a great deal to him.
• 1937-1938 - Student at the Prague Art Academy.
• 1938 - Again visits Hesse in the Tessin in the fall. With the occupation of the Sudetenland by the Germans his parents flee for Sweden.
• 1939 - Weiss travels through Germany to join his family in Sweden.
• 1941-1946 - Various exhibits of his paintings in Sweden.
• 1943 - Marries Helga Henschen, a painter and sculptress.
• 1944 - Birth of daughter, Randi-Maria.
• 1946 - Becomes a Swedish citizen
• 1947 - Spends the summer in Berlin, writing reports for a Swedish newspaper.
• 1949 - Marries Carlota Dethorey. Birth of son, Paul.
• 1952 - Begins directing films, and teaches painting at the Stockholm People's University. Writes Der Schatten des Körpers des Kutschers, which is only published in 1959.
• 1958 - Death of his mother, followed by
• 1959 - Death of his father. Begins work on the autobiographical Abschied von den Eltern (published 1961).
• 1961 - Begins work on the novel Fluchtpunkt (published 1962).
• 1962 - First participates in meeting of the influential Gruppe 47. Writes Das Gespräch der drei Gehenden.
• 1963 - Begins work on Marat/Sade.
• 1964 - Marries Gunilla Palmstierna. Premiere of Marat/Sade at the Schiller Theater in Berlin. Visits Auschwitz.
• 1965 - Awarded the Lessing Prize. On October 19 Die Ermittlung has its premiere simultaneously in sixteen (both East and West) German theatres.
• 1966 - Although he defends Wolf Biermann in an open letter Weiss is awarded the most prestigious East German literary prize, the Heinrich Mann Prize. Peter Brook films Marat/Sade.
• 1968 - Premiere of Viet Nam Diskurs. Travels to North Viet Nam. Joins the Swedish Communist Party.
• 1970 - Premiere of Trotzki im Exil. Heart attack.
• 1971 - Premiere of Hölderlin
• 1972 - Birth of daughter Nadja.
• 1975 - Publication of first volume of Die Ästhetik des Widerstands.
• 1978 - Second volume.
• 1981 - Third volume.
• 1982 - Dies May 10. Posthumously honoured with the Georg Büchner Prize.