Kurt Held, born Kurt Kläber, was a German writer and Communist who was displaced from Germany during the Second World War. He is best known for publishing under the pseudonym Kurt Held.

Kle4ber was a Jewish Communist and married fellow writer Lisa Tetzner. With the encouragement of his wife, he devoted himself to writing. Due to the conditions of his exile, he was prohibited from publishing under his own name, prompting him to adopt the pseudonym Kurt Held.

He perceived children as the true victims of war, class struggle, and injustice. His works realistically portrayed children and conveyed strong moral messages. His greatest success was "The Outsiders of Oskoken Castle" (German: Die Rote Zora und ihre Bande), which was followed by similar books about working-class children, including "Der Trommler von Faido" (The Drummer of Faido).