Franz Blei (1871–1942) was a multifaceted figure in the European cultural scene of the early 20th century. His essays, dramas, poems and translations were highly regarded while his literary criticism introduced important works of world literature to the German-speaking world. As an internationally networked and pacifist intellectual, he fled Germany to escape National Socialism. He lived on Mallorca from 1932 to 1936, emigrated to Italy in 1937, to France in 1939 and finally to the USA in June 1941.
