Herbert Ihering

Herbert Ihering (also sometimes Herbert Jhering: 29 February 1888 - 15 January 1977) was seen by many contemporaries as one of the leading German theatre critics during and after the Weimar years.

He was one of the earliest supporters in print of Bertolt Brecht, which formed one basis for a long period of very public disagreement - which sometimes degenerating into journalistic feuding - with Alfred Kerr. Later Ihering incurred the enmity of the dramatist Klaus Mann, who was widely believed to have incorporated Ihering in his novel "Mephisto" as the opportunistic theatre critic and gossip Dr Ihrig (in later editions Dr.Radig).

Although chiefly remembered for his work as a theatre (and film) critic, Ihering also published other forms of writing, and took jobs inside the theatre, working as a dramaturge and in other supportive positions.

Herbert Georg Albrecht Gustav Ihering was born in Springe, a small town just outside Hanover. His father was an Assessor (junior magistrate) at the local court. His career as a critic began in 1909 when he started to work for "Die Schaubühne" ("The Theatre Stage"), a weekly newspaper owned by Siegfried Jacobsohn. Over the next few years he became established as a critic with contributions to a range of newspapers. Between 1914 and 1917 he worked as a dramaturge at the in Vienna.

He had already contributed to the Berliner Börsen-Courier before the war, and after 1918 he became a regular freelance contributor to it. Between 1918 and 1920 he also worked as a reviewer for the theatrical publishing house. In 1919 he succeeded Alfred Kerr as the theatre critic on "Der Tag", the mass circulation daily paper produced by August Scherl.

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