Hermann Broch
Hermann Broch
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Hermann Broch's full name was Hermann Joseph Broch. He is often referred to as Hermann Broch.
Birth and Death Dates
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Hermann Broch was born on November 1, 1886, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria). He passed away on May 31, 1951, in New York City, USA.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Broch held Austrian citizenship. Throughout his life, he worked as a novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, and philosopher. His work spanned multiple genres, reflecting his diverse talents.
Early Life and Background
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Born into an affluent Jewish family in Vienna, Broch's early life was marked by privilege and culture. He received a traditional education at the Akademische Gymnasium, focusing on classical languages, philosophy, and literature. This upbringing instilled in him a love for art, music, and intellectual pursuits.
Broch's interests extended beyond academia; he also developed a passion for modernist art and literature. During World War I, Broch served as an artillery officer on the Italian Front. These experiences profoundly influenced his later work, particularly in his novel The Death of Virgil.
Major Accomplishments
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Broch's literary achievements are characterized by their philosophical depth and innovative style. Some key accomplishments include:
The Sleepwalkers (1930-1932): A trilogy consisting of The Unknown Quantity, The Anonymus Donatus, and The Death of Virgil.
The Death of Virgil: This novel, written between 1944 and 1945, is a complex exploration of human existence, philosophy, and the search for meaning.
Notable Works or Actions
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In addition to his novels, Broch was also a prolific essayist. His essays often explored themes related to art, literature, and philosophy. Broch's work was influenced by various philosophical traditions, including existentialism, phenomenology, and Marxism.
His engagement with modernity and the human condition led him to become an active member of the Gruppe 47, a prominent literary circle in post-war Germany. Through his writing, Broch sought to capture the essence of the human experience amidst the turmoil of war and societal upheaval.
Impact and Legacy
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Broch's contributions to literature are multifaceted:
Influence on Modernism: His work played a significant role in shaping modernist literature, particularly through his experiments with non-linear narrative structures and philosophical themes.
Existential and Phenomenological Thought: Broch's engagement with existential and phenomenological ideas made him a precursor to later thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Hermann Broch is widely quoted for his insightful commentary on human existence, philosophy, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world. His writing style, characterized by depth, complexity, and innovative narrative techniques, continues to captivate readers seeking profound explorations of the human condition.
Broch's contributions to modernist literature and his influence on later thinkers make him an important figure in 20th-century intellectual history.
Quotes by Hermann Broch
One who hates is a man holding a magnifying-glass, and when he hates someone, he knows precisely that person's surface, from the soles of his feet all the way up to each hair on the hated head.
As she wanders along the river like this, one hand on her hip and the other clutching a mark to defray her expenses, she is in well-known country.
Incapable of communicating himself to others, incapable of breaking out of his isolation, doomed to remain the mere actor of his life, the deputy of his own ego – all that any human being can know of another is a mere symbol, a symbol of an ego that remains beyond our grasp, possessing no more value than that of a symbol; and all that can be told is the symbol of a symbol, a symbol at a second, third, nth remove, asking for representation in the true double sense of the word.
If the embodiment of the fundamental idea of our age were to be found in Victorian architecture, in the Church of Cristo Re in Rome or the Church in Brasilia, in Moscow University or the Capitol in Washington, then our age would undoubtedly be called the ‘age of kitsch.’
Were one merely to seek information, one should inquire of the man who hates, but if one wishes to know what truly is, one better ask the one who loves.
One who hates is a man holding a magnifying-glass, and when he hates someone, he knows precisely that person’s surface, from the soles of his feet all the way up to each hair on the hated head.