Ernst Toller

Ernst Toller, born on December first, nineteen ninety-three, was a prominent German playwright, politician, and revolutionary. Renowned for his Expressionist plays, Toller made a significant impact on the theatrical landscape of his time. His political involvement peaked in nineteen nineteen when he briefly served as President of the Bavarian Soviet Republic, a role he held for just six days before taking command of its army.

Following the fall of the Bavarian Soviet Republic, Toller faced imprisonment for five years due to his participation in the armed resistance against the central government in Berlin. It was during this tumultuous period that he penned several influential plays, which later garnered international acclaim and were performed in major cities such as London, New York City, and Berlin.

In the wake of the Nazi rise to power in nineteen thirty-three, Toller was forced into exile from Germany. He embarked on a lecture tour across the United States and Canada between nineteen thirty-six and nineteen thirty-seven, eventually settling in California before relocating to New York, where he joined fellow exiles. Tragically, Toller’s life came to a premature end in May nineteen thirty-nine when he took his own life.