Ernst Weiß

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameErnst•Weiß
Used nameErnst•Weiß
Born28 August 1882 in Brno, Jihomoravský kraj (CZE)
Died15 June 1940 in Paris Xe, Paris (FRA)
NOC Germany
Medals OG
Gold 0
Silver 1
Bronze 0
Total 1

Biography

Writer Ernst Weiß earned the silver medal for his novel Boetius von Orlamünde at the 1928 Art Competitions in Amsterdam in the category Literature, Epic Works. The novel portrays the life of Boetius, the son of an impoverished nobleman, finding confirmation in the taming of his stallion Cyrus. Later he goes back to his hometown of Bruxelles (Brussels) and accepts “proletarian work” in a turbine factory. Only the chapters with reference to sports (riding, fencing, swimming in a boarding school) were submitted. It took a great effort to prepare the four required copies for the jury in Amsterdam. The story was again published after 1930, mostly under the title The Aristocrat. Until today, numerous new editions have been released, even as an e-book.

Weiß was an Austrian-born Jew. He studied medicine and first worked as a ship’s doctor. He began publishing novels after he met famous Czech writer Franz Kafka in 1913. After World War I Weiß settled in Praha (Prague) as a physician, but in 1921 he moved to Berlin as a freelance writer. In 1933 Weiß immigrated again to Praha and then to Paris. Since he could not work further as a doctor, he mainly wrote books and articles for immigrant journals. When the German Nazi troops entered Paris, he took his own life by cutting his wrists and also swallowing poison.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1928 Summer Olympics Art Competitions GER Ernst Weiß
Literature, Epic Works, Open (Olympic) 2 Silver

Special Notes