BAUM, VICKI

(1888-1960)

   American author. Born in Vienna, she attended a music school and appeared as a harpist at the age of 11. She played in various orchestras in Vienna. In 1916 she married the conductor Richard Lert and gave up her musical career. Her first book, Falling Star, was published only after a friend discovered her mansucripts in 1920. In 1921 she worked as an editor for the Ullstein publishing house. Some of her novels were serialized in illustrated weeklies. In 1928 she published Helen Willfur, this was followed by Menschen in Hotel which was made into a film starring Gerta Garbo. In 1938 she became an American citizen.