Lissauer, Ernst (1882-1937)

German writer. Much of his work is strongly nationalistic. His ‘Hassgesang gegen England/Hymn of Hate’ 1914 was hugely popular in Germany during World War I; it contains the notorious refrain ‘Gott strafe England’ (‘May God punish England’). He also wrote plays, including Eckermann 1921, Yorck 1921, and Das Weib des Jephta/The Wife of Jephta 1928.

Lissauer was born in Berlin and attended the universities of Leipzig and Munich. His first published lyrics appeared in Der Acker/The Field 1907. The ‘Hassgesang gegen England’ was printed in the first issue of a periodical called Worte in die Zeit/Words in Time, which he issued in Göttingen 1914-15.