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Austrian-born author Johannes Mario Simmel dies

Published first novel in 1949 while working as a translator for the U.S. army

Image: Johannes Mario Simmel
Gaetan Bally / AP
Many of Simmel's books were translated into other languages, and the play "The Classmate" was adapted for Broadway.
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updated 5:33 p.m. ET Jan. 2, 2009

Author Johannes Mario Simmel, whose books are said to have sold more than 70 million copies worldwide, died in the Swiss town where he lived, a local official said Friday. He was 84.

Simmel died in a care home in Zug, near Zurich, on Thursday, town clerk Irene Schwendimann said, without giving the cause of death or any further details.

Simmel's books regularly topped German-language best-seller lists before Nobel laureates such as Heinrich Boell and Guenter Grass.

His works include the World War II spy novel "It Can't Always Be Caviar," and the Cold War thriller "Dear Fatherland."

Many of his books were translated into other languages, and the play "The Classmate" was adapted for Broadway.

Lifelong campaigner against racism
Born in 1924 in the Austrian capital Vienna, Simmel trained as a chemical engineer before discovering his talent for writing. He published his first novel in 1949 while working as a translator for the American military administration in postwar Austria.

Most of his father's family, who were of Jewish origin, died in the Holocaust, and Simmel was a lifelong campaigner against racism and fascism.

A funeral will be held in Zug in coming days, Schwendimann said.

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Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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