Kurt Kläber (4 November 1897 – 9 December 1959), known under the pen name Kurt Held, was a German-Swiss communist activist and writer of proletarian and children's literature. He is best known for the 1941 novel The Outsiders of Uskoken Castle.
Early life
Kläber was born in Jena on 4 November 1897, the son of Hermann Kläber, a construction foreman. He left school at the age of 14 and began apprenticed as a locksmith and later trained to be a mechanic at Zeiss. Kläber joined the Wandervogelbewegung and traveled through many countries of Europe.
Kläber's travels ended with the outbreak of World War I. He joined the German Army and fought in the war, during which he was wounded and contracted typhoid fever.