Lothar-Guenther Buchheim, the highly acclaimed German author and art collector, known for his renowned autobiographical novel, Das Boot, has passed away at the age of 89. He died on late Thursday, from heart failure. He is survived by his wife, Diethild, and two children, Yves-Bruno and Nina.
Buchheim was much-admired for his works including fiction and non-fiction. The famous picks comprised of several books about his World War II patrol on the German submarine U-96 in the Atlantic Ocean in 1941. He beautifully crafted his personal experience into the novel Das Boot, or the Boat. The novel was published in 1973 and carried an anti-war message in its depths. The book was also made into an acclaimed German film in 1981, starring Juergen Prochnow. The book provides a detailed and in depth analysis regarding the hopeless life during war and its consequences. It also provides a peek into the sufferings of the sailors living in the restricted submarines.
Buchheim was born to a painter and studied at the Academies of Art in Dresden and Munich. Later, he joined the German navy as a reporter during World War II. During that time period, he took role in submarine operations in the Atlantic and Straits of Gibraltar. He photographed and wrote about his experience for propaganda purposes but then converted them to a short story, Die Eichenlaubfahrt, or The Oak Leaves Patrol and also Das Boot. He also wrote a three-volume non-fiction work, U-Boat Krieg or U-Boat War that featured more than 5,000 photographs he took from the U-96. His list of works include a lot other books but it was Das Boot that gained him worldwide fame and name.
He was not only a writer but also a terrific art lover. Bavarian Gov. Edmund Stoiber praised him for his large contributions to the southern German state, not excluding the museum that displays his collection of art from the Bruecke group of expressionists. It comprises works by Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein and Otto Mueller. The Buchheim Museum also houses a variety of exclusive sculptures, ceramics, textiles and glass from Asia, South America and Europe. The folk art from Africa and the Pacific is another attraction.
