Leo Perutz Writer Date of Birth: 02.11.1882 Country: Czech

1. Biography of Leo Perutz
2. The Third Bullet and Military Service
3. Personal Tragedy and Continued Writing
4. Recognition and Later Years

Biography of Leo Perutz

Leo (Leopold) Perutz, a writer, was born on November 2, 1882, in Prague. As the son of a textile factory owner, he did not experience any deprivation or financial difficulties in his childhood. He attended a private public school of the Piarist order in Prague, the Imperial State Gymnasium in Prague, as well as the Imperial State Gymnasium in Krimmau. After his family moved to Vienna, he studied at the Imperial Grammar School of Archduke Rainer Real Gymnasium, but left without obtaining a high school diploma. From 1902 to 1907, Perutz was a member of the literary association "Freilicht," although he did not show much activity within the group. His short military service as a volunteer was not burdensome, as he was stationed in Prague. After the army, Perutz worked as an insurance agent while also attending the university and the Technical Institute in Vienna as an external student. He studied subjects such as mathematics, industrial economics, and probability theory. During these years, the young author's first stories were published. Nevertheless, he did not plan to dedicate his life to literature, and his work in various insurance companies continued even after his works became widely known.

The Third Bullet and Military Service

The novel "The Third Bullet," on which Perutz worked since 1911, was published in 1915. In August of the same year, Perutz was mobilized and served as a private in the 88th Infantry Regiment. In the summer of 1916, while on the Eastern Front, he suffered a severe lung injury. After a long period of treatment, Perutz did not return to active duty and instead served in the military press bureau. In 1918, two significant events took place for Perutz - he married Ida Weil, with whom he had a deep connection, and his novel "Between Nine and Nine" (translated as "Leap into the Unknown" in Russian) was published, immediately gaining immense popularity. This was followed by the novels "Marquis de Bolivar" (1920), "The Master of the Day of Judgment" (1923), a separate edition of the novel "Turlopin" (1924, the serialized version was published a year earlier), and the novel "Oh, Little Apple, Where Are You Rolling?" (1928).

Personal Tragedy and Continued Writing

In March 1928, Perutz's wife died from pneumonia. This loss plunged him into despair, bordering on mental instability. However, the writer continued to work. In 1930, a collection of novellas titled "Lord, Have Mercy!" was published, and at the end of the year, the premiere of the play "A Trip to Pressburg Castle," co-written with Paul Frank, his frequent collaborator (their first joint work, the novel "The Miracle of the Mango Tree," was published in 1916), took place. The novel "Saint Peter's Snow," published in 1933, was not reprinted after the National Socialists came to power. Perutz's situation in his homeland became increasingly difficult. Although the novel "The Swedish Cavalier" (1936) was published in Vienna, the book was banned from being imported into Germany. After German troops occupied Austria, Perutz, his second wife, and their children left for Venice on a visa and later settled in Haifa. In the same year, 1938, the family moved to Tel Aviv. Perutz had to rejoin the insurance agency as an employee.

Recognition and Later Years

Unexpected interest in the writer's works, with the help of Jorge Luis Borges, arose in Argentina, where his novels were published in Spanish, and several films were made based on his books. Starting in 1947, Perutz spent every summer in Europe, and in 1950, after a long hiatus, he was able to visit Austria. The noisy fame of the past remained behind, and the novel "Nights under the Stone Bridge," written two years earlier, was published in Frankfurt in 1953 but did not generate much reader interest. On August 25, 1957, during his regular summer trip, Leo Perutz died suddenly in Bad Ischl from a heart attack. One of his best novels, "Juda Leonardo," was published posthumously in 1959.