Oskar Baum Collection

Baum, Oskar, 1883-1941 (Creator of the collection)
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Description

Oskar Baum (1883 Pilsen - 1941 Prag) was a writer, editor and musician from Bohemia. Blind since his childhood, he was trained and worked as piano and organ teacher and as cantor. He also wrote novels and contributions to German language newspapers in Prag, such as the Prager Zeitung, Die Weltbühne, Der Sturm and others. Together with his wife Margarete Schnabel he established a circle of friends, among them Max Brod, Franz Kafka and Felix Weltsch. His focus was on film and on the work of contemporary authors, contemporary composers. His critiques of music are important documentation of Avantgarde music in Europe. He died at the age of 58 after an operation at the Jewish Hospital in Prag.

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Reference Code
ARC. 4* 1977 Oskar Baum Collection
Dates
1913-1937
Consists of
0.2 meters.
Languages
German;
Description
The collection contains a number of items from Oskar Baum's personal archive, almost exclusively letters sent to him.;אוסף מכיל מספר פריטים מהארכיון האישי של אוסקר באום, כמעט אך ורק מכתבים שנשלחו אליו.
Title
Oskar Baum Collection.
Additional Titles
כותרת בעברית: אוסף אוסקר באום.
Citation Note
ARC. 4* 1977 Oskar Baum Collection, Archives Department, National Library of Israel, Jerusalem
Host Item
Oskar Baum Collection
Level of Description
Fonds Record
Biographical summary
Oskar Baum was born as the son of a Jewish merchant in Pilsen on January 21st, 1883. Already at birth he had a vision impairment which deteriorated until he became completely blind at age 11. As a consequence he was sent to the Israelite Institute for the Blind in Vienna, where he completed training as music instructor, focusing on piano and organ. After receiving his teaching license he returned to Prag and worked as piano teacher, organist and cantor. With his wife Margarete Schnabel he established the Prague circle which included Max Brod, Franz Kafka, Felix Weltsch and others. In 1908 he published his first novel, more followed over the years. Tomas Masaryk invited him to work as music and theater critic for the Prager Presse. Following this, he was able to write for further German newspapers in Prag, such as Die Weltbühne, Der Sturm, Die Aktion and the Neue Deutsche Presse. In 1934 he assumed the leadership of the Schutzverband deutscher Schriftsteller in Czechoslovakia, but was suspended in 1938 from all work as journalist, and his works were blacklisted after the occupation of Prag in 1939. He attempted to move to Palestine but failed, however, he contributed to helping and saving other Jews. After a medical operation he fell ill and died on March 1, 1941 in Prag, and is buried at the New Jewish Cemetery in Olsany. His wife was deported to Theresienstadt and was murdered there in 1943. Their only child Leopold Baum was a victim in the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.
Ownership history
The details of the letters' acquisition are unknown. Most of them were cataloged in 1972 and 1973 as part of the Schwadron autographs collection, but certainly they had been acquired before. Some items show prices in a format that indicates their purchase in Palestine or Israel before 1960.
Language Note
The materials are in German.
Credits
Oskar Baum Collection, The National library of Israel. Digitization and cataloguing of this fonds was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG / German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy - EXC 2176 'Understanding Written Artefacts: Material, Interaction and Transmission in Manuscript Cultures', project no. 390893796. The research is conducted within the scope of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) at Universität Hamburg.
National Library system number
990038771570205171
Links

Tags

Baum, Oskar, 1883-1941 Czechoslovakia -- Intellectual life Czechoslovakia
Photograph by unknown, undated.Vitalis Verlag.

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When using this material, please acknowledge the source of the material as follows:
Oskar Baum 1883-1941 (Creator of the collection), Oskar Baum Collection, 1913-1937, סימול ARC. 4* 1977 Oskar Baum Collection, Oskar Baum Collection.

Credits

Oskar Baum Collection, The National library of Israel. Digitization and cataloguing of this fonds was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG / German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy - EXC 2176 'Understanding Written Artefacts: Material, Interaction and Transmission in Manuscript Cultures', project no. 390893796. The research is conducted within the scope of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) at Universität Hamburg.

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