Karl Borromäus Alexander Sessa
Karl Borromäus Alexander Sessa (December 20, 1786 – December 4, 1813) was a Prussian physician and playwright, known for his anti-Semitic sentiments.
Karl Borromäus Alexander Sessa | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 20, 1786 Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | December 4, 1813 (aged 26) Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Occupation | Physician, playwright |
| Language | German |
Biography
Karl Borromäus Alexander Sessa was born in Breslau, Prussia, in 1786. He studied philosophy and medicine at various universities, graduating as doctor of medicine in Frankfort-on-the-Oder in 1807. He subsequently served as a district physician in his hometown.
In addition to composing essays on medical topics and various pieces of poetry and drama, Sessa published anonymously a comedic work titled Die Judenschule ('The Jewish School'), presumably in response to the Prussian Edict of Emancipation.[1] The play portrayed Jewish characters in an extremely derogatory manner, depicting them as solely driven by base financial motives. It debuted in Breslau on February 11, 1813, and was later staged in Berlin and other locations under the title Unser Verkehr ('Our Intercourse'), until authorities intervened and prohibited its further performances.
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Deutsch, Gotthard (1905). "Sessa, Karl Borromäus Alexander". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 206.
- Wallace, Robin (2018). "The Curious Incident of Fidelio and the Censors". In Hall, Patricia Ann (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Music Censorship. Oxford University Press. pp. 226–227. ISBN 978-0-19-973316-3.