Biography
I have never seen a biography of OW. Is there one that is good that has been written? I would like to read one!

There were 6 published, but all are in German. So far there has been no English biography released...

Maybe I will have to write one! :D Seriously, I would love to write a biography one day ( I hope to be a successful writer). Perhaps OW will be my first subject. If so, you will have to translate the parts that are interesting of the German biographies into English for me! ;) :P

I talked about that already with another friend of mine, and the trouble ith me is, that I do not have much time to do that kind of things... but that is now, maybe we can make a book all together one day... one chapter written by you, another one by my friend... next by you... my English is not good enough to write a full biography, but I could help with translating of the German stuff.. well, in a few years? :wink:

Sounds like fun! We could be famous (well...if anyone would read the book!) What would we call it?

Hi! I am an author, have been for a while. And I have discussed this, as said above. I would like to write a biography of Oskar Werner. But I do know that to do so one may need to get permission from the Werner estate for some things -- possibly photos, etc. I am not sure how this is done. Anyway, I would not mind co-writing the biography. I need a lot more information on his life, though. If someone could provide photos of his home where he grew up, etc., that would be nice, photos that haven't been seen before. Does anyone know how to get in touch with Felix to see if and what permission we need? Also, I simply need a great deal more information. The translation of the title of one of his German biographies is - "A Resonance". I suggested that would be a good English title. Or we could use something along those lines. I am open for suggestions. :o

There is a quick (from the former Online Forum) Biography done mostly by me and some by Nici. This covers his live and his theater work. I think you can still access this as "Oskar Werner Online Forum." There is or is supposed to be, another biography being worked on by a well known German/Austrian author. He originally wanted to get it out this past year. Usually, with a handy German/Deutsch dictionary in paper back at any bookstore. There are some differences between Viennese German and the ordinary, harsher sounding German.

Yes, you can still see your biography, Pamela. http://oskarwerner.de.vu :D

I'm buying books on biographical Oskar, but in German. I'm going to have to learn German. It will take months, at least two years before I can go well into German, and working every day. For now I am going to help the translator to translate the german books, and the translation is not correct, but with what I know already Oskar in English or French, I'm going to get there. But I think something over the past few days. There Nici who speaks German and English ... There Pamela, Tina, Montag, who speak English. I practice French and English. Why we don't try to do something altogether ? This would read this biography to those who do not understand German. We can help us with what we know, make a little practice book. We all love Oskar here, it would be a fitting tribute. I have to work on writing with a canadian photographer who didn't spoken French and who spoke English by adoption. We translated my very difficult text: I explained the "subtilities" of French and what I wanted to say. She explain me how in English others subtilities of the English language and together we have got a very good text. We had the language barrier. But Nici, Tina and Pamela, Montag, there is no barrier. I speak more English and I could always find a way to make you understand what I mean if I don't find the just word. We can do this biography together ... Why not, it's not impossible and it construtif around Oskar! By working a little every day, several, in a few months we would have a good result. What do you think ? But if you do not do so, I need someone to do so. I hope so. Friendly, Marie-Jeanne

There is a biography being written which must now be nearing completion. (MH if you read this don't be upset if you are not that near..... we all understand!!!) By someone who has sources none of us could possibly have. The author is a good friend of Felix and, I am sure, has gotten all the information possible from him. If anyone can provide an English translator, and there might be one, it would be Felix with his connections and knowledge. Felix is a wonderful and creative person in his own right. My feeling is that we should allow this new book to come out as it has one source that is exemplary and who had never been consulted to this extent for a book before. We all love Oskar... I 'knew' him via letters... and we all must remember how much he valued his privacy. He still would not necessarily "love" too many books about his public or private life. My sense is let it rest for now and see if somehow this newest book can be translated into English. None of us knew Oskar as well as his own son and the above mentioned source. This author's book should be the best of all. So, let's see if something can be done in English when it is finished and not try to hard to do anything more for now.

Hi, Pamela ! :) Thank you. Now see French someone who speaks both languages. I do not have fairly good English for it to say that I could one day. There is sommebody will make it. Friendly, Marie-Jeanne

I would think that someday more books on Oskar will be translated to other languages. Even if only in his honor because he himself was fluent in so many languages, including French! Our "job" as people who love him and cherish his memory, is to make sure he is not forgotten!! - - Not forgotten in any country in which worked. He made one American film in English very early in his career. In this film he learned English phonetically - making the sounds without entirely understanding fully what each word meant. He did, of course, deeply understand what the character he was playing was feeling and the motivation of the character. It became a film that meant very much to him, "Decision Before Dawn." As he put it, he "was that boy in the film and the (resulting) blacklist in Germany of that film was an honor for (him.) There are people who are younger in Europe now who have never heard of him or his work. I have enlightened one of them in Belgium but there's more to be done. That's what people like you can do. Even if it is only writing letters to news papers. Make people understand what a great soul he truly was and that, despite the Nazi annexation of Austria, he was about as anti-Nazi as one could get without getting shot. Indeed, he did somethings that could easily have resulted in that. He was, to my mind, his own kind of hero in those times. That is what people need to know. The information is out there..... spread it beyond the Forum. And, as much as one might want to write a book about Oskar, one needs to remember that a publisher or at least a possibility of one must be found. Usually that is an automatic thing with someone who is already an author like the person who is now working on what will be the next and very possibly the best book yet.

Hi Pamela, :) Sometimes the language problem is a barrier for documentation or to make a book with a faithful translation with this sentence: translated from English ... (Name of the author translated) :wink: Friendly, Marie-Jeanne

Yes, especially from the German which has one word that takes four or more English words to define. Translation is tricky whether on paper or vocally.