TitleSiegfried and Lotte Moos Papers
Held atUniversity of London, Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies
Reference codeSLM
Date1897-2008
Creator
- Moos, Siegfried (1904-1988) economist, writer, refugeeMore Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator
Siegfried Moos was born in 1904 to Jewish parents Albert & Johanna Moos, nee Weilheimer, in Munich. After his father died in 1911 his uncle Hermann Binswanger largely took care of him. Moving to Berlin in the late 1920s Siegfried joined the German Communist Party, became involved with agitprop theatre movement and wrote lyrics for Stefan Wolpe (1902-1972). Siegfried met his wife, Lotte Jacoby, working for the worker’s theatre and they married in 1932. Fleeing without papers in early 1933 Siegfried walked to Paris, arriving in August 1933, before following his wife to London in February 1934. Siegfried studied at LSE and became a researcher for the NY Times in 1936. In 1938 he joined the Oxford Institute for Statistics under Jacob Marschak. Apart from a short period of internment in Scotland Siegfried remained at the Institute until 1947. During that time, he also wrote for the German exile paper ‘Die Zeitung’ under the pseudonym Alfred Lehmann and advised the Free French government on economic issues. At the end of 1947 he moved to Durham with his family to take up a post as a lecturer in economics. Siegfried also taught at the WEA (Workers Education Association) throughout his career. In 1966 he moved to London (Hackney) to join the Board of Trade and become an adviser to Harold Wilson. He retired in 1970 and became involved with the Hackney Writers Workshop. Siegfried died in 1988. His collected poetry – ‘Mind the Gap’ – was published posthumously in 1989?? For more details see: Merilyn Moos: ‘Beaten But Not Defeated: Siegfried Moos - A German anti-Nazi who settled in Britain’, Winchester : Chronos Books, 2014.
- Moos, Lotte (1909-2008) poet, playwright, refugeeMore Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator
Margarethe Charlotte Jacoby was born in 1909 in Berlin, one of three daughters of Samuel and Luise Jacoby nee Baumann. After a brief period at the school of the Berlin State Theatre she worked as an assistant to a photographer and then in the worker’s theatre where she met Siegfried Moos. They married in 1932. Fleeing Berlin for Paris in July 1933 then moving on to London in December 1933 Lotte worked as a nursemaid, translator, typist and language teacher. In 1934 Lotte met Brian Gould Vershoyles, a member of the British Communist Party. When her visa was not renewed in 1935 Lotte followed Brian to Moscow where they lived together for six months. In 1938 Lotte moved to Oxford with her husband. During exile Lotte took many short courses and tried unsuccessfully to pick up her studies of economics at LSE. During the war she wrote articles for the German exile newspaper ‘Die Zeitung’ under the pseudonym Maria Lehmann. In 1947 the family relocated to Durham, and in 1966 they moved back to London (Hackney).
Lotte always wrote short stories, articles, plays, and later poetry. Her play: ‘Come back with diamonds’ was staged at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. Lotte joined the Hackney Writers Workshop and focused more on her poetry. She published three collections of poetry: ‘Time to be Bold’ (1981), ‘A Heart in Transit’ (1992), and ‘Collected Poems’ (1993). Lotte died in London in 2008.
Scope and ContentThe Siegfried and Lotte Moos Papers give an insight into the lives of two refugees from the Nazis who, although nominally Jewish, had to flee Germany in 1933 because of their political beliefs and activism. They settled in Britain where they continued to be politically active through their myriad writings.
The collection is divided into six series:
- The first two series cover the individual lives and families of Siegfried and Lotte respectively.
- The third series holds correspondence between Siegfried and Lotte. They were often separated during the 1930s and 1940s, not least when they were both interned in 1940
- The fourth series includes correspondence from family and friends. Many had survived the Nazis and were scattered across the globe
- The miscellaneous section includes material on the Hackney Writer’s Workshop. Both Lotte and Siegfried were active members.
- The last section is a file of letters from, and regarding the care of Ruth Parker, nee Flatauer, Lotte’s niece who came over on the kindertransport.
Conditions governing accessOpen. At least 48 hours' notice is required for research visits.
Extent16 boxes
Level of descriptionfonds