John Hoexter - previously spelt Höxter (1884 – 1938) – German poet and artist

With thanks to AC Benus for finding this poet for us and translating the poem

Hoexter by L. Meidner,
1913

John Höxter was born on 2nd January 1884 in Hanover – his father was a merchant.   John studied art at the Berlin School of Applied Arts - his teacher was the artist Leon von König.  John began writing in 1908 with a review written for a German theatrical newspaper and went on to illustrate books, write poetry and design book covers.  He also wrote poems inspired by some of his paintings, which he called "word copies".

John served in the German Army during the First World War but was invalided out due to Tuberculosis. 

In November 1919 he launched the satirical journal “Der blutige Ernst”, which was taken over by Carl Einstein and George Grosz from the third issue.    John died on 15th November 1938 in Potsdam. 

 

AC Benus tells us that the poet Robert Jentzsch dedicated a collection of poetry ("Romantic Portraits") to John Höxter -  “Portrait of Hoexter” by Ludwig Meidner (1884–1966)

A poem by John Höxter kindly found for us by AC Benus and translated by him:

 “Berliner Winter”  

Erbssuppenhimmel, der zu Boden fließt –

Die Erde patscht.

Spreenebel und Schlotauswurf drücken

Der nackten, nassen Teerpappbauten Rücken.

Wie Scheuerlappen hingeklatscht

Schneeflächen, rußgefleckte, her und hin;

Des Großstadtwinters Bettelhermelin.

An fensterlosen, steilen Häusermauern,

Auf Schuppen, die umzäunt im Kehricht kauern,

Frieren erlosch’ne Farben der Reklamen,

Die einst Glutrosen, strahlende Cyklamen,

Goldgelbe Primeln, lilasüßer Flieder,

Einklangen in der Sonne Sommerlieder

Und die mich jetzt durch grelles Lärmen stören,

Mißtönend zu den grauen Dämmerchören,

Drin, hinter blätterlosem Baumgerippe

Flußbögen blinken und des Todes Hippe.

"Berlin Winter" 

A pea-soup fog, flows down from heaven – 

Splattering the earth. 

Spree river-mist and smokestack ejections press

Against the naked backs of wet tarpaper buildings. 

Scouring-pad patches of snow cling,

Soot-speckled, here and there;

A big-city winter beggar’s ermine.

On windowless, close-set house walls,

Above crouching sheds, fenced in by garbage,

Freeze the creased ruts of those billboards

That were once glowing roses, fulgent cyclamen,       

Saffron-gold primula, purple-sweet lilacs,

Lost in the sun of summer melodies,

But which now upset me through dissonance,

Mismatching these gray twilight choruses 

Where, amongst, the leafless skeletons of trees

The river bends flash with death's pruning knife.

NOTE The River Spree flows through Berlin. It is approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) long and is the main tributary of the River Havel. The Spree is the main river of Berlin, Brandenburg, Lusatia, and the settlement area of the Sorbs, who call the River Sprjewja. The Sorbs are an indigenous West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting the parts of Lusatia located in the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg.

German artist Ludwig Meidner (1884–1966) - portrait of Hoexter, 1913

Writer, poet and translator AC Benus is the author of a book about German WW1 poet Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele : “The Thousandth Regiment: A Translation of and Commentary on Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele’s War Poems” by AC Benus (AC Benus, San Francisco, 2020). Along with Hans's story, the book includes original poems as well as translations.    ISBN: 978-1657220584

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1657220583

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1657220583