Jorge Semprún. A Twentieth-Century European Life

Jorge Semprún (1923–2011) was a Spanish writer and survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp. In his literary work, he repeatedly wrote about his life and his survival in Buchenwald and consistently spoke out against any form of political tyranny. Whether as a writer or as Spanish minister of culture, he wanted to craft a future that included a democratic and united Europe — a cause he committed his life to. In 1994, he received the German Book Trade’s Peace Prize for his life’s work. In his acceptance speech, he called for the establishment of an institution in Germany dedicated to keeping the memory of the horrors of past dictatorships alive and to strengthening democracy in Europe. The idea for the Ettersberg Foundation was born.

The exhibition was created on the occasion of Semprún’s 100th birthday and thematizes his life, which was deeply influenced by the political extremes of the 20th century: As a child, he fled with his family from the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). In exile, he joined the French resistance and was deported to Buchenwald concentration camp in 1944. Beginning in 1953, he joined the underground resistance in Spain against Franco’s dictatorship. After breaking with the Communist Party of Spain, he lived in Paris as a successful writer and screenwriter.

An exhibition curated by the Ettersberg Foundation, sponsored by the Sparkassen Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen and the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung, with the support of the Spanish Embassy in Germany and Museu d’Història de Catalunya.

Interest in a Loan?

Please Contact:
Laura Fiedler
service@stiftung-ettersberg.de
T +49 (0)361 219212 – 10
M +49 (0)176 52691979