Franz Hessel

Ein Jahrbuch neuer deutscher lyrischer Wortkunst. In 1908, he published his first prose collection, Laura Wunderl. In 1913, he married Helen Grund, and published Der Kramladen des Glücks. On 27 July 1914, their first son Ulrich was born, and in 1917, their second son Stefan was born. In 1920, he published Pariser Romanze. In 1922, he published Von den Irrtümern der Liebenden. Hessel became one of the first German exponents of the French idea of flânerie, and in 1929 published a collection of essays on the subject related to his native Berlin, Walking in Berlin (Spazieren in Berlin). Reviewing the book in 1929, Benjamin described it as "an echo of the stories the city has told [Hessel] ever since he was a child—an epic book through and through, a process of memorizing while strolling around, a book for which memory has acted not as the source but as the Muse." Concluding, Benjamin wrote: "if a Berliner is willing to explore his city for any treasures other than neon advertisements, he will grow to love this book." In October 1938, the Hessels fled Germany for exile in Paris. In April 1940, the family fled Paris for Sanary-sur-Mer. In May, Franz and Ulrich were interned in Camp des Milles. On 27 July 1940, both were released and were able to return to Helen in Sanary-sur-Mer. However, Franz had dysentery, and had suffered a stroke, from which he did not recover. Hessel inspired the character of Jules in Henri-Pierre Roche's novel Jules et Jim.

• Walking in Berlin. Translated by Amanda DeMarco. Scribe Publications, 2017.