Ernst Schnabel

Ernst Schnabel (September 26, 1913 – January 25, 1986) was a German writer and pioneer of the radio documentary (feature). From 1951 to 1955 he was director of the Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR). In 1947 and 1950 Schnabel "called on listeners to the North-West German radio station (NWDR) to cooperate in his features. His success points to a potential for further work in this sphere that has scarcely been tapped since then: 35,000 and 80,000 listeners respectively took part, with experiences, notes and references, in Schnabel's broadcasts, which in this way became their own."His first feature was Der 29. Januar 1947 (1947), issued as audiobook in 1988. The oratorio Das Floß der Medusa (The Raft of the Medusa) by the German composer Hans Werner Henze is based on Schnabel's libretto.