Gottfried BennGottfried Benn (1886-1956) was born a pastor’s son in Brandenburg Province, Prussia. After graduation, he entered the army as a military surgeon and was discharged in 1912, only to be recalled for the duration of World War I. In 1932 Benn was elected to the Poetry Section of the Prussian Academy of Arts. World War II brought many problems for him; in 1938, he was forbidden to publish and was forced to flee to Berlin. Benn didn’t begin publishing again until eleven years later. He passed away in 1956 in Berlin. Read More Read Less