Sperber, Manès

(1905-1984)

   writer

   Born in Zablotov, in Austrian Galicia, Manès Sperber came to Vienna with his family during World War I. He discovered Marxism at the same time as philosophy, which he then taught as a professor at Berlin (1927). Fleeing the anti-Semitic persecutions that began in 1933, he sought refuge in Paris, where, in 1939, he joined the army. His work, part of which is written in German and part in French, is entirely dedicated to the denunciation of totalitarianism and the upholding of human dignity. Notable among his writings are essays (Analyses de la tyrannie, 1938; Sept questions sur la violence, 1972), autobiographical works (Les Porteurs d'eau, 1974; Le Pont inachevé, 1975; Au-delà de l'oubli, 1977), as well as novels that evoke Central Europe during the years 1930-40 (Et le buisson devint cendres, 1944; Qu'une larme dans l'océan, 1952; Le Baie perdue, 1953).