Editing Marcel Reich-Ranicki

{{Short description|Polish-born German literary critic (1920–2013)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox writer
| name          = Marcel Reich-Ranicki
| image         = Boerne-preis-2007-ffm006.jpg
| imagesize     =
| alt           =
| caption       = Reich-Ranicki in 2007
| birth_name    = Marceli Reich
| birth_date    = {{birth date|df=y|1920|6|2}}
| birth_place   = [[Włocławek]], [[Kuyavia]], [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]]
| death_date    = {{death date and age|df=y|2013|9|18|1920|6|2}}
| death_place   = [[Frankfurt]], [[Hesse]], [[Germany]]
| occupation    = [[Literary critic]]
| awards        = {{nowrap|[[Goethe Prize]] (2002)}}
| spouse        = {{Marriage|Teofila|1942|2011|reason=died}}
}}

'''Marcel Reich-Ranicki''' ({{IPA|de|maʁˈsɛl ˌʁaɪçʁaˈnɪtskiː|lang}}; 2 June 1920 – 18 September 2013) was a Polish-born German [[literary critic]] and member of the informal literary association [[Gruppe 47]].<ref name=Spiegel>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/literatur/marcel-reich-ranicki-ist-tot-a-923068.html|title=Marcel Reich-Ranicki ist tot |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=18 September 2013 |access-date=18 September 2013 |language=de }}</ref> He was regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the field of [[German literature]] and has often been called ''Literaturpapst'' ("Pope of Literature") in Germany.<ref name="Who's who">[http://www.whoswho.de/templ/te_bio.php?PID=33&RID=1 WHO'S WHO profile: Marcel Reich-Ranicki] {{in lang|de}}</ref>

==Life==

===Early life===
Marcel Reich<!-- he added "Ranicki" later --> was born on 2 June 1920 in [[Włocławek]], [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]],<ref name=AP_obit>{{cite news |last=Moulson |first=Geir |date=22 September 2013 |title=MMarcel Reich-Ranicki, German literary critic, dies at 93 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/marcel-reich-ranicki-german-literary-critic-dies-at-93/2013/09/22/0008fcc4-22d4-11e3-966c-9c4293c47ebe_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post }}</ref> to David Reich, a [[Polish Jewish]] merchant, and his wife, Helene (née Auerbach) Reich, who came from a [[German Jewish]] family (his cousin was the painter [[Frank Auerbach]]).<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/jan/15/homecoming-show-for-artist-frank-auerbach-to-be-held-at-berlin-gallery</ref> Reich and his family moved to [[Berlin]] in 1929.<ref name=AP_obit/> He attended a German school there, but was later sent to Berlin to study.<ref>{{cite web | author1 =  T. Michael | url = https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcel-Reich-Ranicki | title = Biography of Marcel Reich-Ranicki | access-date = 6 September 2018 | website = Encyclopædia Britannica | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150906170420/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcel-Reich-Ranicki | archive-date = 6 September 2015 | url-status = live}}</ref>

Reich dedicated himself to the reading of German classics and practicing the theatre. The literary critic [[Volker Weidermann]] wrote that "he found his salvation in literature".<ref name="newyorker Sep 24, 2013" /> As a Jew he was unable to enroll at university and was then expelled back to Poland in 1938.<ref name=NYT_obit>{{cite news |last=Dillon |first=Sam |date=18 September 2013 |title= Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Literary Critic, Is Dead at 93 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/world/europe/marcel-reich-ranicki-german-literary-critic-from-the-warsaw-ghetto-dies-at-93.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1& |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=18 September 2013 }}</ref> After being denied at the [[Humboldt University of Berlin|University of Berlin]], he was arrested and deported to Poland. In his 1999 autobiography, ''The Author of Himself'', Ranicki affirmed, "I had a ticket for [a] première that evening – I wouldn't be needing it."<ref name="newyorker Sep 24, 2013">{{cite news |author1= S. McGrane |url = https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/postscript-marcel-reich-ranicki-1920-2013 |title= Postscript: Marcel Reich (1920–2013) |date= 24 September 2013 |access-date= 6 September 2018 |magazine= The New Yorker |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160414155435/https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/postscript-marcel-reich-ranicki-1920-2013 |archive-date= 14 April 2016 |url-status= live}}</ref>

In November 1940, Reich and his parents found themselves in the [[Warsaw Ghetto]], during which time he worked for the [[Judenrat]] as a chief translator,<ref name=AP_obit/><ref name="newyorker Sep 24, 2013" /> and contributed to the collaborative newspaper ''Gazeta Żydowska'' (''The Jewish Newspaper'') as a music critic. Reich's translation work made him an eyewitness to meetings between the Jewish and Nazi authorities.<ref name=AP_obit/>

Ranicki survived the Jewish deportation in the Warsaw Ghetto, where he married his wife Teofila, whereas his parents were murdered in the [[Treblinka]] extermination camp.<ref>{{cite web |author1= P . Oltermann |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/18/marcel-reich-ranicki-dies-93 |title= Marcel Reich-Ranicki, German literary critic, dies aged 93 |website= The Guardian |date= 18 September 2013 |access-date= 6 September 2018 |quote= Renowned for his putdowns, the 'pope of literature' survived the Warsaw ghetto to become Germany's most influential critic. |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160322102515/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/18/marcel-reich-ranicki-dies-93 |archive-date= 22 March 2016 |url-status= live}}</ref> In 1943, Reich and his wife escaped the Ghetto. His parents and brother were murdered in the [[Holocaust]]. His sister survived, having escaped to England shortly before the war.<ref name=AP_obit/>

In 1944, he joined the [[Armia Ludowa|Polish People's Army]], and became an officer in [[Ministry of Public Security (Poland)#History|Urząd Bezpieczeństwa]], the Soviet-controlled Polish secret police, known for using torture and human rights violations, where he worked in the censorship department.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/article3349684/Wie-Reich-Ranicki-in-Polen-die-Zensur-organisierte.html |title= Vertreibung: Wie Reich-Ranicki in Polen die Zensur organisierte |last=Gnauck |first=Gerhard |date=10 March 2009 |work=Die Welt |access-date= 18 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref> He joined the communist [[Polish Workers' Party]] after the war.

From 1948 to 1949, he was a Polish diplomat and intelligence worker (operating under the pseudonym "Ranicki") in London.<ref name=NYT_obit/> The couple's only child, [[Andrew Ranicki]], a [[topology|topologist]] and mathematics professor, was born in London in 1948. Reich was recalled from London in 1949, sacked from the intelligence service, and expelled from the Party on charges of "ideological estrangement", for which he was also jailed for a short time.<ref name=NYT_obit/>
Subsequently, he developed a career as an editor, publisher of East German authors, and freelance writer for newspapers and radio with a focus on German literature.<ref name="SZ_obit">{{cite news |url= http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/marcel-reich-ranicki-ist-tot-der-mann-der-uns-das-lesen-lehrte-1.1379918 |title=Marcel Reich-Ranicki ist tot – Ein Nachruf |last= Schneeberger |first=Ruth |work=Süddeutsche Zeitung |date=18 September 2013 |access-date= 18 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref><ref name="Bloom_obit">{{cite web |url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-18/german-critic-marcel-reich-ranicki-german-dies-at-93.html |title= German Critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki, German Dies at 93 |last=Hickley |first= Catherine |date=19 September 2013 |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |access-date= 19 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.france24.com/en/20130918-germanys-top-literary-critic-holocaust-survivor-dead |title=Germany's top literary critic, Holocaust survivor, dead |date=18 September 2013 |publisher=[[France 24]] |access-date=18 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131006060845/http://www.france24.com/en/20130918-germanys-top-literary-critic-holocaust-survivor-dead|archive-date=6 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/19/marcel-reich-ranicki |title=Marcel Reich-Ranicki |date=19 September 2013 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date= 19 September 2013}}</ref>

===Life in Germany===
[[File:Büste von Marcel Reich-Ranicki im Literaturhaus Frankfurt.jpg|thumb|Bust of Reich-Ranicki in Literaturhaus Frankfurt]]
Frustrated by the curtailment of his liberty in the [[People's Republic of Poland]] he emigrated in 1958 with his wife and son to the [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] (West Germany),<ref name=AP_obit/> living in the city of Hamburg.<ref name=NYT_obit/> Here he began writing for leading West German periodicals, including ''[[Die Welt]]'' and the ''[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]''. In Poland, he had published under the pseudonym "Ranicki"<ref name=AP_obit/> (his intelligence codename). On the advice of the arts editor of the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine'', he adopted the name Marcel Reich-Ranicki professionally. From 1963 to 1973, he was literary critic for the West German weekly ''[[Die Zeit]]'', published in Hamburg.<ref name="Zeit_obit">{{cite news |url= http://www.zeit.de/kultur/literatur/2013-09/nachruf-marcel-reich-ranicki/komplettansicht |title= Nachruf Marcel Reich-Ranicki: Heimlich Ausreise in die Bundesrepublik |last=Joel |first=Fokke |date=18 September 2013 |work=[[Die Zeit]] |access-date= 18 September 2013|language=de}}</ref>

In 1973, he moved to [[Frankfurt]], where, from 1973 to 1988, he was head of the literature staff at the daily ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung''.<ref name=NYT_obit/> Reich-Ranicki would go on to write and edit for the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' for the rest of his life. In 1969 he taught at [[University of Vermont|Vermont]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Lückert |first=Katja |date=18 September 2013 |title=Streitbarer Verfechter des Buches – Zum Tode von Marcel Reich-Ranicki |publisher=[[Deutschlandfunk]] |url= http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/streitbarer-verfechter-des-buches.691.de.html?dram:article_id=262048 |language=de }}</ref> From 1971 to 1975, he held visiting professorships at [[Stockholm University|Stockholm]] and [[Uppsala University|Uppsala]].<ref name="BLK">{{cite web |url= http://www.berlinerliteraturkritik.de/detailseite/artikel/mein-heine.html |title=Marcel Reich-Ranicki: Mein Heine (Hoffmann & Campe Verlag)/Leseprobe |date=11 December 2009 |publisher=[[Die Berliner Literaturkritik]] |access-date= 18 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref>

In 1974, he was awarded an honorary professorship at the [[University of Tübingen]],<ref name="BLK"/> West Germany. In 1990 and 1991, he received the Heinrich-Hertz visiting professorship of the [[University of Karlsruhe]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.uni-protokolle.de/nachrichten/id/40228 |title= Werner Leonhard erhält 10. Heinrich-Hertz-Gastprofessur |date=10 January 1997 |access-date= 18 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref> and in 1991 and 1992, he received the Heinrich-Heine visiting professorship at the [[Heinrich Heine University|University of Düsseldorf]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hr-online.de/website/specials/reichranicki90/index.jsp?rubrik=57257&key=standard_document_38975825 |title= Biografie: Marcel Reich-Ranicki|date=4 March 2013 |publisher=[[Hessischer Rundfunk]] |access-date=18 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130918234805/http://www.hr-online.de/website/specials/reichranicki90/index.jsp?rubrik=57257&key=standard_document_38975825 |archive-date= 18 September 2013}}</ref>

From 1988 to 2001, Reich-Ranicki hosted the literary talk show ''Literarisches Quartett'' on German public television.<ref name=Spiegel/> He became a household name in Germany;<ref name=NYT_obit/> according to a survey, 98% of Germans knew his name.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/Leben-und-Erleben/Auch-mit-90-ist-Reich-Ranicki-noch-streitlustig-879389.html|title=Auch mit 90 ist Reich-Ranicki noch streitlustig}}</ref> In Summer 2000, fellow panelist [[Sigrid Löffler]] left the panel, complaining that Reich-Ranicki had put forward [[Haruki Murakami]]'s erotic novel ''[[South of the Border, West of the Sun]]'' for discussion, which Löffler disliked. Reich-Ranicki answered that she had a problem with erotic literature in general. Although differences over Murakami provided a catalyst for Löffler's widely publicised departure from the programme, it does appear that tensions between Löffler and Reich-Ranicki were more broadly based and longstanding, having indeed nourished the programme's dynamic over the years.<ref name=SLlautWB>{{cite news |title=Es geht um Murakami Ein Streit zwischen Marcel Reich-Ranicki und Sigrid Löffler gefährdet die ZDF-Literatursendung |author= Wolfgang Büscher  |date= 14 July 2000  |work= Es geht um Murakami .... Das Quartett, die Liebe und die Qual |url= https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article523027/Ein-Streit-zwischen-Marcel-Reich-Ranicki-und-Sigrid-Loeffler-gefaehrdet-die-ZDF-Literatursendung.html |publisher= WeltN24 GmbH, Berlin |access-date= 11 December 2017}}</ref><ref name=AffaerelautSpiegel>{{cite web |date=28 July 2000 |title= Das Ende der "Qual" Sigrid Löffler verlässt das "Literarische Quartett" |work=Die Journalistin wirft ihrem Mitmoderator Marcel Reich-Ranicki einen "medialen Amoklauf" vor und bedauert, dass die beliebte Fernsehsendung zum "wüsten Spektakel" verkommen sei. Das ZDF denkt über eine vorübergehende Trio-Besetzung nach. |url= http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/literatur/das-ende-der-qual-sigrid-loeffler-verlaesst-das-literarische-quartett-a-87235.html |publisher= [[Der Spiegel]] (online) |access-date= 11 December 2017}}</ref> In 2002, the show was followed by a similar but short-lived programme, ''Reich-Ranicki Solo'', which consisted of him talking about old and new books in front of a studio audience.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/marcel-reich-ranicki-letztes-solo-des-ersten-geigers-a-225200.html |title=Marcel Reich-Ranicki: Letztes Solo des ersten Geigers |date= 2 December 2002 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |access-date= 18 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref> [[Jack Zipes]] wrote: "On his television show, Reich-Ranicki often played the clown, a mixture of [[Milton Berle]] and [[Jack Benny]], but you always had to take him seriously because his knowledge of German culture was so comprehensive."<ref name=NYT_obit/>

In 1993, the weekly ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' gave him a dossier of about fifteen pages, under the title "The Lord of Books", tracing his career, first to ''[[Die Zeit]]'', then to the ''[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]''.<ref name="lemonde Sep 19, 2013" /> Many writers, and readers too, disagreed with some traits of his complex personality, while universally recognizing his culture and passion for German literature.<ref name="lemonde Sep 19, 2013">{{cite news | author1 = J. Savigneau  | url = https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2013/09/19/le-critique-litteraire-marcel-reich-ranicki-ne-ferraillera-plus-contre-gunter-grass_3480226_3246.html | title = Le critique littéraire Marcel Reich-Ranicki ne ferraillera plus contre Günter Grass | date = 19 September 2013 | access-date = 10 September 2018 | language = fr | newspaper = Le Monde.fr | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202636/https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2013/09/19/le-critique-litteraire-marcel-reich-ranicki-ne-ferraillera-plus-contre-gunter-grass_3480226_3246.html | archive-date = 4 March 2016 | url-status = live}}</ref>

Having written about German literature for most of his life, he also published books on American and Polish literature. After cutting down on his television appearances, Reich-Ranicki's wife and son encouraged him to write an autobiography "before it was too late". Published in 1999, ''The Author of Himself: The Life of Marcel Reich-Ranicki'' was a bestseller in Germany, cementing his status. Mainly dealing with life and survival during the war, the book was adapted for television and broadcast starring [[Matthias Schweighöfer]] as Reich-Ranicki in April 2009.<ref name=NYT_obit/>

In February 2006, he received an honorary doctorate from [[Tel Aviv University]], which later that year established an endowed [[chair (academic)|chair]] for German literature named after him.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www2.tau.ac.il/news/engnews.asp?month=2&year=2006 |title= Tel Aviv University Webflash – February 2006 |date=February 2006 |publisher=Tel Aviv University |access-date=18 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131009114322/http://www2.tau.ac.il/news/engnews.asp?month=2&year=2006 |archive-date=9 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nmz.de/kiz/nachrichten/tel-aviv-kein-interesse-an-deutscher-kultur-und-geistesgeschichte |date=5 March 2008 |publisher= Neue Musikzeitung |access-date=18 September 2013 |title=Tel Aviv: Kein Interesse an deutscher Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.dw.de/reich-ranicki-lehrstuhl-in-tel-aviv/a-1858605-1|title=Reich-Ranicki-Lehrstuhl in Tel Aviv |last=Hofmann |first= Grit |date=18 January 2006 |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |access-date=18 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref> In February 2007, the [[Humboldt University]] in Berlin awarded him an honorary degree.<ref name="ja_20070222">{{cite news |url= http://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/article/view/id/3579 |title= Marcel Reich-Ranicki – Lob eines Kritikers |last=Glasmacher |first=Andre |date=22 February 2007 |work=[[Jüdische Allgemeine]] |access-date=18 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref><ref name="nch_20070215">{{cite news |url=http://www.nachrichten.ch/detail/267135.htm |title=Reich-Ranicki spät geehrt – Auszeichnungen, Literatur, Kultur, Bildung, Persönlichkeiten |date=15 February 2007 |publisher= nachrichten.ch |access-date=18 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref> This is the same university that Reich-Ranicki applied to in 1938, when his application was turned down because of his Jewish ancestry.<ref name="ja_20070222"/><ref name="nch_20070215"/>

In October 2008, he was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the [[Deutscher Fernsehpreis|German Television Awards]] telecast for ''Literarisches Quartett''. He made headlines with his acceptance speech, in which he spurned the prize and criticized the state of German television.<ref name="s522">{{cite web | last=Smee | first=Jess | title=German literary critic rejects lifetime-achievement gong live on air | website=the Guardian | date=2008-10-12 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/13/germany-television | access-date=2024-12-26}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsbhA64PvwA Video of the acceptance speech (full length)] at YouTube</ref> He also declared he would have paid any monetary award back, had the prize been associated with a monetary reward.<ref name="elmundo Oct 13, 2008">{{cite web | url = http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/10/13/television/1223894452.html | title = Marcel Reich-Ranicki: 'I say it openly, I do not accept the prize' | language = es | date = 13 October 2008 | access-date = 10 September 2018 | website = El Mundo | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091202181117/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/10/13/television/1223894452.html | archive-date = 2 December 2009 | url-status = live}}</ref>

In 2012, Reich-Ranicki made a speech at the [[Bundestag]] on [[International Holocaust Remembrance Day]]. He continued to write a weekly column in the ''[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]'' until shortly before his death.<ref name=NYT_obit/>

The autobiography "The Author of Himself", published in 1999, begins with Reich-Ranicki reporting a conversation in 1958 with [[Günter Grass]] asking him: "Are you German, or Polish, or what?". The answer was: "Half German...".<ref name="lemonde Sep 19, 2013" />

===Death ===
Reich-Ranicki died on 18 September 2013 in [[Frankfurt]], having previously been diagnosed with prostate cancer.<ref name=Spiegel/><ref name=Guad_obit>{{cite web|last=Oltermann|first=Phillip|title=Marcel Reich-Ranicki, German literary critic, dies aged 93|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/18/marcel-reich-ranicki-dies-93|work=The Guardian|access-date=18 September 2013|date=18 September 2013}}</ref> German Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] paid tribute: "We lose in him a peerless friend of literature, but also of freedom and democracy. I will miss this passionate and brilliant man."<ref name=NYT_obit/> The ''[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]'' described Reich-Ranicki as "the man who taught us how to read."<ref name=Guad_obit/>

Marcel's son, [[Andrew Ranicki]] (1948–2018),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://literaturkritik.de/zum-tod-von-andrew-ranicki-sohn-von-teofila-und-marcel-reich-ranicki,24261.html|title=Zum Tod von Andrew Ranicki, Sohn von Teofila und Marcel Reich-Ranicki – : Literaturkritik.de}}</ref> was a professor of mathematics at the [[University of Edinburgh]].<ref name=NYT_obit/> Marcel's wife, Teofila Reich-Ranicki, predeceased her husband by two years, dying in 2011.<ref>[https://archive.today/20110501073253/http://www.hr-online.de/website/rubriken/kultur/index.jsp?rubrik=5982&key=standard_document_41399025 "Teofila Reich-Ranicki ist tot" (in German)], hr-online.de] {{in lang|de}}</ref> According to ''[[The Economist]]'', "He appreciated Jewish culture, especially its way with words, but found religion pointless and, after Warsaw, God inconceivable."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Marcel Reich-Ranicki |url=https://www.economist.com/obituary/2013/09/28/marcel-reich-ranicki |access-date=2024-07-10 |work=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

==Relationships with authors==
As a tough critic, Reich-Ranicki had a difficult relationship with other authors. Following the publication of ''[[Too Far Afield]]'' by his fellow [[Gruppe 47]] member [[Günter Grass]], Reich-Ranicki appeared on the cover of the magazine ''[[Der Spiegel]]'', tearing the novel apart. The magazine included his unfavorable review of the book.<ref name="Guad_obit"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/literatur/reich-ranicki-an-grass-ich-muss-sie-noch-einmal-belehren-a-217611.html |title=Reich-Ranicki an Grass: "Ich muss Sie noch einmal belehren" |date=10 October 2002 |work=[[Der Spiegel]]|access-date=19 September 2013 |language=de}}</ref> Reich-Ranicki praised Grass' next book, ''[[Crabwalk]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzz.ch/aktuell/feuilleton/uebersicht/der-herr-der-buecher-1.18152568|title=Zum Tod des Literaturkritikers Marcel Reich-Ranicki: Der Herr der Bücher|last=Köhler|first=Andrea|date=18 September 2013|work=Neue Zürcher Zeitung|access-date=18 September 2013|language=de}}</ref> Another frequent target of Reich-Ranicki was writer [[Martin Walser]]. In 2002, Walser published the crime novel ''[[Death of a Critic]]'' (Tod eines Kritikers) as a revenge against Reich-Ranicki. In the book, a prominent, bigoted critic named ''André Ehrl-König'' – who shares many similarities with Reich-Ranicki – is murdered. The novel became a hot topic of debate in Germany.

Australian writer [[Clive James]] stated: "Every living German writer wants his praise, but it has always been hard to get: the reason, of course, why they would like to have it."<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/German-literary-critic-and-Holocaust-survivor-Reich-Ranicki-dead-at-93-326503 |title= German literary critic and Holocaust survivor Reich-Ranicki dead at 93 |date=18 September 2013 |work= The Jerusalem Post}}</ref>

==Works==
{{Refbegin|60em}}
{{Div col}}
* ''Literarisches Leben in Deutschland'' 1963
* ''Deutsche Literatur in Ost und West'' Piper 1963, DTV 1983 (revised)
* ''Literarisches Leben in Deutschland. Kommentare u. Pamphlete.'' Munich: Piper 1965
* ''Wer schreibt, provoziert'' 1966, 1992
* ''Literatur der kleinen Schritte. Deutsche Schriftsteller heute.'' Piper 1967
* ''Die Ungeliebten. Sieben Emigranten''. 1968
* ''In Sachen Böll. Ansichten und Einsichten. 1968, 1994
* ''Über Ruhestörer. Juden in der deutschen Literatur.'' Piper 1973.
* ''Nachprüfung, Aufsätze über deutsche Schriftsteller von gestern''. Piper 1977, DTV 1980, 1990 (revised)
* (Ed.) ''Frankfurter Anthologie''. Volume 1–29, Frankfurt: Insel 1978–2006
* ''Entgegnung, Zur deutschen Literatur der siebziger Jahre''. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 1981
* ''Nichts als Literatur. Aufsätze und Anmerkungen''. Reclam 1986
* ''Thomas Mann und die Seinen''. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 1987, {{ISBN|3-421-06364-8}}
* (Ed.) ''Deutsche Erzählungen des 20. Jahrhunderts.'' (5 volumes) 1991
* ''Der doppelte Boden.'' (Interviews with Peter von Matt) 1992
* ''Lauter Verrisse''. Munich: DTV 1993, {{ISBN|3-423-11578-5}}
* ''Die Anwälte der Literatur''. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 1994
* ''Herz, Arzt und Literatur: Zwei Aufsätze.'' Ammann 1994
* ''Romane von gestern, heute gelesen II. 1918 – 1933''. Fischer 1996
* ''Verweile doch – 111 Gedichte mit Interpretationen'' Insel 1999
* ''Mein Leben''. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 1999, {{ISBN|3-423-13056-3}} – ''The Author of Himself: The Life of Marcel Reich-Ranicki''
* ''Der Fall Heine''. DTV 2000, {{ISBN|3-423-12774-0}}
* (with [[Sigrid Löffler]] and {{lang|de|Hellmuth Karasek}}) ''{{lang|de|... und alle Fragen offen. Das Beste aus dem Literarischen Quartett}}''. Heyne 2000. {{ISBN|3-453-16506-3}}.
* (Ed.) ''Hundert Gedichte des Jahrhunderts''. Insel 2001
* (Ed.) ''Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen. Deutsche Gedichte und ihre Interpretationen''. Insel 2001
* ''Ungeheuer oben. Über Bertolt Brecht''. Aufbau 2001
* ''Deutsche Literatur in West und Ost.'' DTV 2002
* ''Sieben Wegbereiter. Schriftsteller des 20. Jahrhunderts''. Munich: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 2002, {{ISBN|3-421-05514-9}}
* ''Kritik als Beruf''. Fischer 2002, {{ISBN|3-596-15577-0}}
* ''Über Literaturkritik''. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 2002
* ''Erst leben, dann spielen. Über polnische Literatur''. Wallstein 2002
* ''Lauter schwierige Patienten''. List 2003
* ''Meine Bilder. Porträts und Aufsätze''. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 2003, {{ISBN|3-421-05619-6}}
* ''Meine Geschichten. Von Johann Wolfgang Goethe bis heute''. Insel 2003
* ''Unser Grass''. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 2003, {{ISBN|3-421-05796-6}}
* ''Vom Tag gefordert. Reden in deutschen Angelegenheiten''. DTV 2003, {{ISBN|3-423-13145-4}}
* ''Meine Geschichten. Von Johann Wolfgang von Goethe bis heute''. Insel, 2003, {{ISBN|3-458-17166-5}}
* (Ed.) ''Meine Gedichte. Seit Walther von der Vogelweide''. Insel 2003
* (Ed.) ''Hundert Gedichte des Jahrhunderts'' 2003
* (Ed.) ''Der Kanon. Die deutsche Literatur Erzählungen''. Insel 2002–2006
* ''Sieben Wegbereiter: Schriftsteller des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts''. DTV 2004
* ''Goethe noch einmal: Reden und Anmerkungen.'' DTV 2004
* (Ed.) ''Meine Schulzeit im Dritten Reich. Erinnerungen deutscher Schriftsteller''. DTV 2006
* ''Marcel Reich-Ranicki im Gespräch mit Wolfgang Koeppen''. [[Suhrkamp]] 2006
* ''Der Mond über Soho: 66 Gedichte mit Interpretationen.'' (poems by Bertolt Brecht) Insel 2006
* ''Über Amerikaner. Von Hemingway und Bellow bis Updike und Philip Roth''. DTV 2006
* ''Aus persönlicher Sicht. Gespräche 1999 bis 2006'' Marcel Reich- Ranicki, Christiane Schmidt; DVA 2006
* ''Marcel Reich-Ranicki antwortet auf 99 Fragen''. Insel 2006, {{ISBN|3-458-34888-3}}
* ''Herrlich wie am ersten Tag: 125 Gedichte und ihre Interpretationen'' Insel 2008
* ''Die Literatur, eine Heimat: Reden über und von Marcel Reich-Ranicki'' DVA 2008
* (Ed.) ''Mein Schiller'' Insel 2009
* (Ed.) ''Mein Lessing'' Hoffmann und Campe 2009
* ''Für alle Fragen offen: Antworten zur Weltliteratur'' 2009
{{div col end}}
{{Refend}}

==See also==
*[[German literature]]
*[[List of Poles#Intelligence|List of Polish People]]
*Marcel Reich-Ranicki's anthology of exemplary German literature [[Der Kanon]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.reich-ranicki.com Reich-Ranicki.com] {{in lang|de}}
*{{Perlentaucher|marcel-reich-ranicki}}
*[http://www.literaturkritik.de/reich-ranicki/index.php Marcel Reich-Ranicki on literaturkritik.de] {{in lang|de}}
*[http://www.maths.ed.ac.uk/~aar/surgery/bio.htm Memorial website for Marcel and Teofila Reich-Ranicki maintained by their son Andrew Ranicki]
* [http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/collections/personalsites/Israel-Germany/Division-of-Germany/Pages/Marcel-Reich-Ranicki.aspx Marcel Reich-Ranicki and the German Literature]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reich-Ranicki, Marcel}}
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