, Painter, president of the Academy of Arts Bernhard Kellermann enrolled in 1899 at the
Technical University of Munich initially in general studies, but later focused on
German literature and
painting. Beginning in 1904 he built a reputation as a novelist with early works such as
Yester and Li, and reached extraordinary success through 1939 with 183 printings. The novel
Ingeborg (1906) achieved an impressive 131 printings (until 1939). In the years before
World War I his novels were published following journeys in the United States and Japan. His novel
Das Meer (
The Sea) was made into film by
Peter Paul Felner and
Sofar-Film-Produktion GmbH, featuring prominent film stars. His main work was
Der Tunnel in 1913. It was highly successful for both him and his publisher,
S. Fischer Verlag: circulation exceeded one million, and the work was translated into 25 languages. Kellermann's works became more critical of society and directly related to real-world events; his previous writings were marked with
impressionism and
prose. During World War I, Kellermann worked as a
correspondent for the
Berliner Tageblatt [''Berlin's Daily Journal''], one of Berlin's most influential newspapers, and published several war reports. In 1920, his novel
Der 9. November (
The Ninth of November) appeared, which argued critically against the behavior of soldiers and officers in relation to the people. This book doomed Kellermann during the
Nazi era. Beginning in 1922, he produced numerous
novellas and
short stories. In 1926 Kellermann became a member of the
Prussian poet academy, from which he was excluded 1933. In 1926, he divorced
Lene Schneider-Kainer while on an extended odyssey of two years, often traveling by donkey or caravan visiting Russia,
Persia, India,
Burma,
Thailand,
Vietnam,
Tibet,
Hongkong and China. His novel
The Ninth November was banned and burned publicly. Kellermann did not flee the country and offered no resistance, but wrote
dime novels. After the collapse of the Nazi dictatorship, Kellermann worked with
Johannes R. Becher in the
Cultural Association of the GDR. He was a member of
East Germany's
Volkskammer as well as chairmen of the
Society for German-Soviet Friendship. His commitment in the postwar years to East Germany caused a boycott of West German booksellers. His name was forgotten. Even shortly before his death in 1951 he rallied the writers of both German states to push for unified deliberations. Bernhard Kellermann is buried in the . His grave is preserved. == Works ==