Alfred Wolfsohn began his major work in the mid 1930s while he was still living in Berlin. He entitled it "Orpheus - or the way to a mask" and as Wolfsohn himself says "The central idea of the book stems from the legend of Orpheus, which, stripped of its mythical cloak is the story of a singer who lost his voice and had to descend to the underworld before he could return to the world of men, to sing in a transformed voice."
Marita Gunther translated this manuscript and tried unsuccessfully to get it published in the 1970 and 80s. Sheila Braggins has recently reedited it with Jay Livernois and we very much hope that it will be published within the next year. Copies of the English translation can be consulted in the Roy Hart Theatre Archives, Malérargues. This applies too to the other manuscripts and papers: "The Bridge", "The Problem of Limitations", "Biography of an Idea - fragment" and "Christus 1938".
After the death of Marita Günther in May, 2002, all the German manuscripts and personal papers of Alfred Wolfsohn that were in her care during her life time, were donated for safe keeping to the Berlin Jewish Museum (Judisches Museum Berlin).
The archives staff of the Museum have carefully catalogued all the material and now invites researchers to help expand the scope of their work by following further information that could be supplied by you.
If you are interested in this research (in German) contact the Archives Department at the Berlin Jewish Museum at Lindenstrasse 9-11, D-10969, Berlin.
Alfred Wolfsohn's writings index page