Friedrich Torberg (1908-1979), Oskar Karlweis (1894-1956)Alma Mahler (1879-1964) and Marietta Torberg in New York, 1945.

  • Profession: Writer, journalist.
  • Born: 16-09-1908 Alsergrund, Vienna, Austria.
  • Married: Marietta Torberg (Born 11-11-1920, died 25-03-2000). Audio fragment Marietta Torberg.
  • Died: 10-11-1979 Vienna, Austria.
  • Buried: 00-00-0000 Central cemetery, Old Jewish cemetery, Vienna, Austria. Grave: 6-0-3 with his wife. Near Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931).

More

  • Pseudonym for Friedrich Ephraim Kantor-Berg.
  • 1945: Friedrich and Marietta Torberg knew Alma Mahler (1879-1964) in New York, America.
  • Fragment (Audio, German, duration 01:28): Marietta Torberg about her friendship with Alma Mahler (1879-1964), New York.
  • Friedrich Torberg is the pen-name of Friedrich Kantor.
  • Friedrich Torberg’s birthplace in Vienna is Porzellangasse 7a.
  • Book: Liebste Freundin und Alma. Briefwechsel mit Alma Mahler-Werfel. (1987), 288 S.
  • Naming of Torberggasse in Penzing (Vienna 14th District) (1981).
  • Café Torberg in der Josefstadt (Vienna 8th District).
  • Movies and publications.

He worked as a critic and journalist in Vienna and Prague until 1938, when his Jewish heritage compelled him to emigrate to France and, later, after being invited by the New York PEN-Club as one of “Ten outstanding German Anti-Nazi-Writers” (along with Heinrich Mann, Franz Werfel, Alfred Döblin, Leonhard Frank, Alfred Polgar, and others) to the United States, where he worked as a scriptwriter in Hollywood and then for Time magazine in New York City. In 1951 he returned to Vienna, where he remained for the rest of his life. Torberg is known best for his satirical writings in fiction and nonfiction, as well as his translations into German of the stories of Ephraim Kishon, which remain the standard German language version of Kishon’s work.

Honours and awards:

  • Julius-Empire Award (1933).
  • Title of Professor (1958).
  • City of Vienna Prize for Journalism (1966).
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1968).
  • Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class (1968).
  • Gold Medal of the Austrian capital Vienna (1974).
  • Richard Champion Medal (1974).
  • Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (1976).
  • Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature (1979).

The Marietta and Friedrich Torberg Medal

The Marietta and Friedrich Torberg Medal (until 2002 named Friedrich Torberg Medal) is an award given by the Vienna Israelite Community. It is awarded to personalities and initiatives campaigning against antisemitism, racism, and the strengthening of the national socialism. The Marietta and Friedrich Torberg Medal honors the remembrance of a renowned author, a great humanitarian, and a dedicated fighter against national socialism, communism and totalitarian systems.

Friedrich Torberg (1908-1979), Medal (Medaille).

This medal also honors Torberg’s legacy, the remembrance of those Jewish people who perished and who shaped Vienna so decisively. The Marietta and Friedrich Torberg medal is given to personalities who dedicatedly fight for an open and vibrant democracy in Austria, who fight against an awakening of the past, and that the past cannot be forgotten.

Laureates and laudators

1987

  • Peter Huemer (Laudatio: André Heller)

1990

  • Siegfried Reingruber und Hermann Reitmajer (Laudatio: Peter Rabl)

1995

  • Schüler und Lehrkörper des Gymnasiums Friesgasse (Laudatio: Paul Chaim Eisenberg)

1997

  • Josef Broukal (Laudatio: Caspar Einem)

1999

  • Primavera Gruber, Käthe Kratz, Hans Litsauer, Werner Rotter, Karin Schön, Georg Schönfeld
  • Hubert Steiner (Laudatio: Franz Vranitzky)

2000

  • Hubertus Czernin (Laudatio: Emile Zuckerkandl)
  • Gertraud Knoll (Laudatio: Franz Vranitzky)
  • Werner Vogt (Laudatio: Michael Scharang)

2001

  • Marianne Enigl (Laudatio: Michael Hubenstorf)
  • Hans Rauscher (Laudatio: Gerhard Roth)
  • Joachim Riedl (Laudatio: Christian Brandstätter)
  • Günter Traxler (Laudatio: Barbara Coudenhove-Kalergi)

2002

  • Terezija Stoisits (Laudatio: Rudolf Scholten)
  • Ludwig Adamovich (Laudatio: Clemens Jabloner)
  • Wolfgang Petritsch (Laudatio: Jakob Finci)

2003

  • Ute Bock (Laudatio: Helmut Schüller)
  • Heinz Katschnig (Laudatio: Asmus Finzen)
  • Alexander Potyka (Laudatio: Robert Schindel)

2005

  • Waltraud Klasnic (Laudatio: Hans Rauscher)
  • Clemens Jabloner (Laudatio: Georg Springer)
  • Wolfgang Neugebauer (Laudatio: Kurt Scholz)

2007

Oktober

  • Eva Blimlinger (Laudatio: Terezija Stoisits)
  • Ida Olga Höfler (Laudatio: Elie Rosen)

November

  • Gerhard Roth (Laudatio: Daniel Charim)

2008

  • Georg Haber (Laudatio: Ariel Muzicant)

2010

  • Lena, Franziska und Franz Müllner (Laudatio: Kitty Schrott)
  • Martina Enzmann (Laudatio: Thomas Trenkler)
  • Werner Sulzgruber (Laudatio: Isabella Siedl)

2011

  • Thomas Haffner (Laudatio: Markus Kupferblum)
  • Gerhard Zatlokal (Laudatio: Claudia Laschan)

2012

März

  • Helmut Nausner (Laudatio: Martin Jäggle)

Mai

  • Clemens Hellsberg (Laudatio: Zubin Mehta)
  • Wolfgang Schütz (Laudatio: Arnold Pollak)

November

  • Andreas Maislinger (Laudatio: Anton Pelinka und Grußwort: Wladyslaw Bartoszewski)
  • Hannes Porias (Laudatio: Willy Weisz)

2013

  • Christian Kern (Laudatio: Hans Peter Haselsteiner)

2015

  • Karel Schwarzenberg

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