| | Event type
Literature, Lyric Works, Open
| Date | 1 – 16 August 1936 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Ausstellungsgelände Halle VI, Kaiserdamm, Berlin | |
| Participants | 14 from 8 countries | |
| Judge | Rudolf Henz |  AUT |
| Judge | Charly Clerc |  SUI |
| Judge | Hanns Johst |  GER |
| Judge | Heinz Wismann | GER |
| Judge | Werner Beumelburg | GER |
| Judge | Richard Euringer | GER |
| Judge | Georg Schmückle | GER |
The winning poem in this event was written by Felix Dhünen, a pseudonym for Franz Sondinger. Entitled Der Läufer (The Runner), it tells of Pheidippides, the mythical runner announcing the Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon. The runner, having earlier run to Sparta and back, then collapsed and died. This story inspired the organization of the marathon foot race, first held at the 1896 Olympics.
The other medals went to Bruno Fattori, a World War I veteran and Dante expert, and Hans Helmut Stoiber, an Austrian middle school student. Stoiber did not engage in a literary career later, becoming a lawyer, judge and biologist.
| Pos | Catalogue Number | Competitor | NOC | Translated Title | Original Title | Title in Olympic Report or Catalogue | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Felix Dhünen | GER | The Runner | Der Läufer | Der Läufer | Gold | ||
| 2 | – | Bruno Fattori |  ITA | Blue Profiles | Profili Azzuri | Profili Azzuri | Silver | ||
| 3 | – | Hans Helmut Stoiber | AUT | The Discus | Der Diskus | Der Diskus | Bronze | ||
| – | Hermann Stowasser | AUT | High Diver | Turmspringer | Turmspringer | ||||
| – | Theodor Mayer | AUT | Choir of Sports People | Chor der Sportsleute | Chor der Sportsleute | ||||
| – | Paul Dresse |  BEL | Four Poems on Sporting Subjects | Quatre poèmes sur des sujets sportifs | Quatre poèmes sur des sujets sportifs | ||||
| – | Klára Marik |  HUN | Through slow motion | A lassitó lencsén Keresztül | A lassitó lencsén Keresztül (Durch die Zeitlupe) | ||||
| – | Lina Galli | ITA | Seven Poems | Sette Poesie | Sette Poesie | ||||
| – | Lino Businco | ITA | Five Poems | Cinque Poesie | Cinque Poesie | ||||
| – | Fred Jent | SUI | Psychology of Training | Psychologie des Trainings | Psychologie des Trainings | ||||
| – | Wilfried Strik-Strikfeldt |  LAT | Olympic Letters | – | Olympische Briefe | ||||
| – | Hans Schöchlin | SUI | Mind and Sport | Geist und Sport | Geist und Sport | ||||
| – | Theron Newell |  USA | Philopoemen, last of the Greeks | Philopoemen, last of the Greeks | Philopoemen, last of the Greeks | ||||
| – | Avery Brundage | USA | The Olympic Games | The Olympic Games | The Olympic games |