Theodor Plievier captivated his readership with intense prose, combining autobiographical material with depictions of major historical events of the twentieth century. His novels have been extremely popular not only in Germany but worldwide, with more than three million copies sold of the German originals as well as translations. In West Germany new editions of his works have been republished or are planned. His novel Stalingrad (1945; translated, 1948) has also had a new edition in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Born in Berlin in 1892 to Theodorus Rudolf Plievier and Albertine Luise Augusta Thing Plievier, Theodor Plievier had to start contributing to the livelihood of his large working-class family when he was twelve years old. At seventeen he rebelled against the strict authority of his father, who showed no understanding or sympathy for the literary interests of his son, by running away from home. Plievier worked his way across Europe, educating...