Ernst Fischer

Ernst Fischer – Life, Thought, and Famous Quotes

Discover the life and legacy of Ernst Fischer (1899–1972), the Austrian writer, journalist, and Marxist cultural theorist. Explore his biography, ideological journey, major works, and memorable quotes that shaped 20th-century aesthetics and politics.

Introduction

Ernst Fischer (July 3, 1899 – July 31, 1972) was a Bohemian-born Austrian writer, journalist, and political thinker whose intellectual trajectory mirrored the turbulent ideological shifts of the 20th century. He is best remembered for his influential essay Von der Notwendigkeit der Kunst (The Necessity of Art) and his later role as a critic and reformer of orthodox Marxism.

Fischer navigated the realms of journalism, party politics, exile, and cultural theory. His work probes the relationship between art, society, and revolution, arguing that art is not a luxury but a necessity—both for understanding the status quo and for imagining alternative futures.

In this article, we trace the life, intellectual development, and legacy of Fischer, and present some of his most resonant quotations.

Early Life and Family

Ernst Fischer was born on July 3, 1899 in Komotau, Bohemia (then part of Austria-Hungary; today Chomutov in the Czech Republic).

He had siblings (e.g. Walter Fischer) and grew up in a milieu of disciplined structure, though his own temperament often resisted such constraints.

Youth, Education, and Early Influences

Fischer spent part of his formative years in Graz. He was expelled from his secondary school in 1914 for “pornographic” poems, an early sign of his restless intellectual temperament.

After the war, Fischer matriculated at the University of Graz, studying philosophy, German studies, and history, while also doing odd jobs and engaging in early literary activity. Vogel Sehnsucht.

During the 1920s, Fischer also became active in socialist and left-wing circles. He joined the Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Austria (SDAP) in 1920 and began working as a journalist, including in Graz and later in Vienna. Arbeiterzeitung and was associated with the “Arbeiterbühne” (Workers’ Theater) group.

In Vienna (by the late 1920s), Fischer made his mark as a feuilleton editor of the Arbeiter-Zeitung, writing on culture, politics, and literature.

Turning to the Left: Political Commitment and Exile

By the early 1930s, Fischer’s dissatisfaction with the compromises of social democracy deepened. During the Austrian Civil War (February 1934) and the collapse of the SDAP, he shifted toward communism.

After the suppression of leftist forces and the establishment of an authoritarian regime, Fischer and his wife Ruth von Mayenburg fled Austria, first to Czechoslovakia and then to the Soviet Union.

While in exile, Fischer worked as an editor for the Comintern, as propaganda staff, and for German-language periodicals.

During World War II, Fischer engaged in ideological and agitational work, including broadcasting, writing, and contributing to Austrian exile initiatives.

Return to Austria & Political Career

In April 1945, Fischer returned to Austria as part of the postwar reconstruction efforts.

He helped launch Neues Österreich, a joint newspaper of the major parties (ÖVP, SPÖ, KPÖ), and was heavily involved in the cultural and ideological debates of the early postwar era.

From 1945 until 1959, Fischer also served as a National Council (Nationalrat) deputy for the KPÖ.

Ideologically, he often represented a more moderate or “undogmatic” wing of Austrian communism. Over time, he became increasingly critical of rigid Stalinist positions.

By 1968, when the Soviet Union suppressed the Prague Spring, Fischer publicly opposed the intervention and was subsequently expelled from the KPÖ in 1969. Wiener Tagebuch with Franz Marek and positioned himself among undogmatic Marxist intellectuals.

Fischer died on July 31, 1972, in Deutschfeistritz, Styria, Austria.

Intellectual Contributions & Works

Key Themes and Perspective

Fischer’s thinking was always at the intersection of art and politics. He argued that art is essential—not a decorative or secondary enterprise—but a way for humans to interpret, critique, and transform their world. In Von der Notwendigkeit der Kunst (1959), he built a Marxist aesthetics that rejected crude propaganda and formalism alike.

He saw art as embodying a “magic” that helps humans perceive latent possibilities and resist ideological coercion.

Fischer’s aesthetic reflections also engaged with issues of imperfection, the role of dissent, the tension between ideology and autonomy, and the responsibilities of intellectuals in mass culture.

In his later years, he distanced himself from doctrinaire Marxism and embraced a more pluralistic, critical, independent intellectual stance.

Major Works

Here is a selection of Fischer’s notable writings: