Vicki Baum Austrian writer Date of Birth: 24.01.1888 Country: Austria

1. Biography of Vicki Baum
2. Marriages and Nursing During World War I
3. Literary Career and Emigration to the United States
4. Influence of Walter Spies and Later Years

Biography of Vicki Baum

Vicki Baum, an Austrian writer, gained her greatest fame for her novel 'Grand Hotel' in 1929, also known as 'Menschen im Hotel' ('People in the Hotel'). This work brought international attention to the author. Hedwig Vicki Baum was born in Vienna, in a Jewish family. Her career in the arts began with music – learning to play the harp. Baum studied at the Vienna Conservatory and played in an orchestra in Germany for three years. Later, she switched to journalism, working for the magazine 'Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung', published by 'Ullstein-Verlag' in Berlin.

Marriages and Nursing During World War I

The writer was married twice. In 1914, she married Max Prels, an Austrian journalist who introduced her to Vienna's cultural life. In 1916, Vicki became the wife of conductor Richard Lert, who had been her best friend since childhood. Richard was the brother of director Ernst Lert. During World War I, Baum worked briefly as a nurse. Towards the end of the 1920s, Vicki took up boxing. She was trained by Turkish professional boxer Sabri Mahir at his Boxing and Physical Culture Studio in Berlin. Although the establishment was open to both men and women, Baum writes in her memoir 'It Was All Quite Different' that only a handful of women had the strength not to give up training. Marlene Dietrich and Carola Neher were among them. In her memoir, she says: 'I don't know how the feminine spirit managed to penetrate such male spheres, but in any case, only three or four of us were strong enough to go through with it.' Positioning herself as the 'New Woman,' Baum declared her independence in a traditionally male sport like boxing. She writes that Sabri imposed some restrictions on women in boxing: no sparring in the ring, no black eyes, and bloody noses. Continuing her training with Mahir, Baum mastered a workout system that included jump rope exercises. The system was developed by German heavyweight boxer Franz Diener. The writer later stated that her strong moral principles were formed thanks to the skills acquired at Mahir's studio.

Literary Career and Emigration to the United States

Vicki started her writing career in her teenage years. Her first book, 'Frühe Schatten,' was published when she was 31 years old. Her most famous work, the novel 'Grand Hotel' in 1929, made its way to the big screen. The film adaptation 'Grand Hotel' with Greta Garbo and John Barrymore won an Oscar for Best Picture. Baum and her family emigrated to the United States after she was offered a job working on the screenplay for the movie 'Grand Hotel.' Her literary works were banned in the Third Reich. Baum obtained American citizenship in 1938. Her memoir, 'It Was All Quite Different,' was published posthumously in 1964. Vicki had over 50 novels to her name, with at least ten of them being adapted into Hollywood films. Her works after World War II were published in English before her native German.

Influence of Walter Spies and Later Years

In 1935, the writer visited Bali and became close friends with Walter Spies, who influenced her historical and cultural views. This influence led to the writing of the novel 'A Tale from Bali,' published in 1937 and later released under the title 'Love and Death in Bali.' The work depicted the story of a family caught during the 1906 massacre when the last independent Balinese principality fell to the Dutch. Baum died of leukemia in Hollywood, California, on August 29, 1960. Vicki is considered one of the first modern best-selling authors, and her books are regarded as some of the first works associated with contemporary popular literature. She also contributed to the screenplays of films such as 'A Woman's Secret,' 'La belle que voilà,' 'Le château de verre,' 'Futures vedettes,' and 'Shanghai 1937.'