The IWM community is deeply saddened by the death of Martin Pollack. As a writer, literary translator, and journalist, he was one of Austria’s most distinguished public intellectuals.
Martin Pollack had a passion for truth, and there was something relentless in him to uncover fakes and lies. This paved the way for his first career as a highly successful journalist. His report “The dead man in the bunker” (2004) earned him international fame as a writer. It was a book about his father, SS Sturmbannführer Gerhard Bast, and its creation was driven by the same passion that led him to uncover the truth behind the lies of his own family and the Austrian post-war society in general.
Martin Pollack did not only take part in debates, he shaped them. He had a clear opinion on political and cultural issues and combined his positioning in current affairs with a profound historical knowledge. He had a deep affection to Poland and Polish literature. Having studied in Warsaw for some time, his fondness for Poland was also a response to his father’s having committed crimes mainly in Eastern Europe.
Martin Pollack was a long-term friend of the IWM. For many years and until his death, he was a jury member of the IWM’s Paul Celan Fellowships for Translators. His expertise and his passion especially for Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus were poignant and will be bitterly missed.
In June 2024, Martin Pollack delivered the IWM’s annual Krzysztof Michalski Memorial Lecture. It was dedicated to what became a life theme of his: Austria’s enthusiastic participation in the rise of the murderous National Socialist regime and what the country had (not) learned from it. It was a most moving lecture. We are grateful for this evening – and grateful to Martin who gave it to us as his legacy.
