As publisher of the S. Fischer Verlag Monika Schoeller with rows of socialism and feminism the major social discourses, gave a platform. Well, she died at the age of 80 years.
His sister, it was values, said Stefan von Holtzbrinck, death Monika Schoeller’s: “To style, decency and patience, but also, and especially, to those we had in the recent German history is so bitter and difficult to learn and again and again: tolerance and benevolence, the will to freedom and justice, need to learn.”
Monika von Holtzbrinck came on 15. September 1939 in Stuttgart as daughter of the publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck and his wife, Addy is the first of three children. More than 20 years later, followed her half-brother Stefan, from another relationship of your father. Monika studied languages in Munich, Vienna, London and Paris, as well as art history and German literature in Zurich and worked afterwards as a volunteer at Artemis & Winkler, as well as the ark’s literature publishing house in Zurich to the world of publishing. She married the literary scholar Bernd Schoeller, with whom she had, in 1968, a daughter. In 1974 they took over from their father the management of the 1886 founded the S. Fischer Verlag.
In 1963, Holtzbrinck had taken over from Jewish publisher Samuel Fischer created a company – a process that was not without a bitter aftertaste: The publisher was national socialism’s “undesirable”, many of his works had been indicated, the owner of the family emigrated in 1936. Georg von Holtzbrinck on the other hand, the son of an impoverished noble house, had joined the NSDAP in 1933, and used these Connections to secure the sole distribution of magazines, and to give reasons for its prosperity.
Perhaps due to this family history Monika Schoeller’s concern was to publish in 1977, the “Black series”: With over 250 titles in a book series that is now considered the most comprehensive on the time of the national socialism arose. The first Band, the “Nuremberg diary”, documenting the conversations of an American court psychologist with the defendants of the war, the Nuremberg trials from 1962 to criminals.
“Black series” and “women in society”
Monika Schoeller possessed a flair for socially necessary debates and the courage to offer them a platform. In 1975, she launched the series “The woman in society” with Alice Schwarzer’s “The little difference and its big consequences”.
An Affront: in 1975, Monika Schoeller moved the feminist Interview-book by Alice Schwarzer
Black has had Interviews with sixteen women, who talked about relationships, sexuality and self-determination. The Tenor, men are abused in sexual relationships, to demonstrate Power, caused beyond the borders of Germany for outrage.
Since 1986, left the S. Fischer Verlag, under Schoeller’s management gradually his entire publisher’s archive, office correspondence and manuscripts of renowned authors such as Thomas Mann, Ilse Aichinger, and Boris Pasternak, the German literature archive in Marbach. The exploration and research of the documents, the publisher promoted through the financing of the Project and international scholarships.
Too expensive? Since they are funded out of their own pocket
Until today, the critical edition of the works of the Viennese writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal, co-founder of the Salzburg festival is games, prior to the completion of. Since 1967, operated the compilation will include at the end of 42 volumes, 41 are now available. As the projects from the publisher was justified by the perspective, economically, hardly more, to Monika Schoeller have the project out of their own pockets to continue funding. After all, The assets of the patron of the arts was last estimated at around a billion euros. Similar complex projects, the “Nobel Foundation” to Create Thomas Mann, as well as the “Critical edition” of the works of Franz Kafka’s were.
Monika Schoeller: smart, determined, with a sense of rhythm and warmth
After the withdrawal of her brother, Georg-Dieter Holtzbrinck, Monika Schoeller, Stefan von Holtzbrinck, held since 2006, 50 percent of the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group that includes today, in addition to the S. Fischer Verlag and the weekly newspaper “die Zeit” also, technology companies and Fund investments for Start-up companies.
Already in 2002, Monika Schoeller had withdrawn from day-to-day business of the S. Fischer publishers, however, remained Chairman of the Board, and shortly thereafter founded the S. Fischer Foundation, which focused in particular on the promotion of Translations, and is today one of the most important cultural foundations in Germany. 2012-founded the Foundation together with the German Academy for language and poetry, the discussion series “Debates on Europe”. For their commitment, Monika Schoeller has received numerous honors, including the Federal cross of merit and the Goethe plaque of the city Frankfurt.
Schoeller shunned the Public, as far as it went. As the working group of independent cultural institutes in 2018 awarded the Maecenas award, described it as “not socially acceptable”. Companion described them as gentle, smart, determined, and equipped with a sense of rhythm and warmth. The 2017 deceased author Silvia Bovenschen called Schoeller, 2009 in the “FAZ” on the occasion of its 70. Birthday a powerful woman: “you Can look doing? Yes, but very, very rarely. You would always have to be so, we would scarcely have any problems.”
On Monday, the S. Fischer publishers informed that Monika Schoeller on 17. October, died after a short illness in Filderstadt near Stuttgart. She was 80 years old.