Wolfgang Borchert

Pacifist writer Wolfgang Borchert was born in Hamburg, Germany. He began acting very young he and played several roles on stage before the outbreak of World War II when he was called up to serve in the German army. While serving as a soldier he made jokes about leading Nazis and was arrested. He was too young to be executed but while in jail he fell ill and the bad prison conditions made his condition worse. In May 1945 he returned home and started writing. His most famous play, "Draussen vor der Tuer", was originally developed for radio but received such a positive reaction from young Germans that it was later adapted for the theatre. One day before the premiere he died in hospital in Switzerland.