Friedrich Märker


Friedrich Märker was a German writer, essayist, theatre critic and publicist. His work focused on the physiognomy of the Nordic race, time and cultural criticism.
He also wrote under the pseudonyms Alexander Stark, Nicholas Haug and Fyodor Ukrainow.

Biography

After studying philosophy, literature and art history in Berlin, Kiel and Munich he worked as a playwright and theater director in Falck, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. From 1926 he was a theater critic and arts and community college professor in Berlin. As a theatre critic he also published pieces in the Münchner Zeitung. In 1934, he published his main book on the theory of the Nordic race where he tries to prove by the physiognomy of faces that the Nordic race is superior especially to the "ostic" race. In 1938 his approach might have caused problems with the Nazi regime so that he perhaps was banned from lecturing by the Nazis.
He met novelist Margaret Willinsky in 1939 and they married. In 1944, at 50 years old, he was drafted into the army until he was released in 1945 after being captured by the Americans.
After the war he added to his literary career by founding numerous writing organizations and was President of the Protective Association of Writers, founding the literary copyright collecting society for that in 1956. In 1959 he was honored with the Great Cross of Merit. From 1952, he was a member of the German PEN club. The Friedrich-Marker-Preis, named in his honor, has awarded prizes for essays since 1986.

Works