Maria Lazar

Austrian Jewish writer Maria Lazar lived on the edge of history and at the heart of Europe’s radical literary scene. A close associate of Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel, she fled Berlin in 1933, going into exile in Denmark and later Sweden.

Lazar wrote politically charged plays, fiction, poetry, and journalism. In 1930, under the pseudonym Esther Grenen, she found sudden literary success—cut short by fascism and exile. Her circle included Adolf Loos, Hermann Broch, and Egon Friedell.

Rediscovered in 2022 in two metal boxes, her electrifying oeuvre - which includes plays, novels and poety - is now returning to European stages.

*The Stowaway (1939) – A refugee thriller.

Premieres May 2025, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus

*Hell on Earth – A divine farce.

Premiered Sept 28, 2024, Tiroler Landestheater

*Die Eingeborenen von Maria Blut

Performed 2023 at Burgtheater Wien

*Zwei Soldaten

Premiere: March 12, 2026, Staatstheater Wiesbaden