Elfriede Jelinek (; born 20 October 1946) is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She is one of the most decorated authors writing in German today and was awarded the

2004 Nobel Prize in Literature The 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Austrian writer Elfriede Jelinek (born 1946) "for her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society's cli ...

for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power". Next to

Peter Handke Peter Handke (; born 6 December 1942) is an Austrian novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored t ...

and

Botho Strauss Botho Strauß (; born 2 December 1944) is a German playwright, novelist and essayist. Biography Botho Strauß's father was a chemist. After finishing his secondary education, Strauß studied German, History of the Theatre and Sociology in Colo ...

she is considered to be the most important living playwright of the German language.

Biography

Elfriede Jelinek was born on 20 October 1946 in

Mürzzuschlag Mürzzuschlag is a town in northeastern Styria, Austria, the capital of the former Mürzzuschlag District. It is located on the Mürz river near the Semmering Pass, the border with the state of Lower Austria, about southwest of Vienna. The popu ...

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

, the daughter of Olga Ilona (''née'' Buchner), a personnel director, and Friedrich Jelinek. She was raised in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

by her Romanian-German Catholic mother and a non-observant

Czech Jewish The history of the Jews in the Czech lands, which include the modern Czech Republic as well as Bohemia, Czech Silesia and Moravia, goes back many centuries. There is evidence that Jews have lived in Moravia and Bohemia since as early as the 1 ...

father (whose surname "Jelinek" means "little deer" in Czech). Her mother came from a bourgeois background, while her father was a working-class socialist. Her father was a

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

, who managed to avoid persecution during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

by working in strategically important industrial production. However, many of his relatives became victims of the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. Her mother, with whom she had a strained relationship, was from a formerly prosperous Vienna family. As a child, Elfriede attended a Roman Catholic convent school in Vienna. Her mother planned a career for her as a musical "

Wunderkind A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...

". She was instructed in piano, organ, guitar, violin, viola, and recorder from an early age. Later, she went on to study at the Vienna Conservatory, where she graduated with an organist diploma; during this time, she tried to meet her mother's high expectations, while coping with her psychologically ill father. She studied

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

and theater at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

. However, she had to discontinue her studies due to an

anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal function are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physi ...

, which resulted in self-isolation at her parents' house for a year. During this time, she began serious literary work as a form of therapy. After a year, she began to feel comfortable leaving the house, often with her mother. She began writing poetry at a young age. She made her literary debut with ''Lisas Schatten'' (''Lisa's Shadow'') in 1967, and received her first literary prize in 1969. During the 1960s, she became active politically, read a great deal, and "spent an enormous amount of time watching television". She married Gottfried Hüngsberg on 12 June 1974."Portrait of the 2004 Nobel Laureate in Literature"
nobelprize.org; retrieved 13 July 2010.

Work and political engagement

Despite the author's own differentiation from Austria (due to her criticism of Austria's Nazi past), Jelinek's writing is deeply rooted in the tradition of

Austrian literature Austrian literature () is mostly written in German, and is closely connected with German literature. Origin and background From the 19th century onward, Austria was the home of novelists and short-story writers, including Adalbert Stifter, ...

, showing the influence of Austrian writers such as

Ingeborg Bachmann Ingeborg Bachmann (25 June 1926 – 17 October 1973) was an Austrian poet and author. Biography Bachmann was born in Klagenfurt, in the Austrian state of Carinthia, the daughter of Olga (née Haas) and Matthias Bachmann, a schoolteacher. Her fa ...

Marlen Haushofer Marlen Haushofer (born Marie Helene Frauendorfer; 11 April 1920 – 21 March 1970) was an Austrian author, most famous for her novel ''The Wall'' (1963). Biography Marie Helene Frauendorfer was born in Frauenstein in Upper Austria. She attended C ...

, and Robert Musil. Jelinek's political positions, in particular her

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

stance and her Communist Party affiliations, are of vital importance to any assessment of her work. They are also a part of the reason for the controversy directed at Jelinek and her work. Editor Friederike Eigler states that Jelinek has three major and inter-related "targets" in her writing: what she views as capitalist consumer society and its

commodification Within a capitalist economic system, commodification is the transformation of things such as goods, services, ideas, nature, personal information, people or animals into objects of trade or commodities.For animals"United Nations Commodity Trad ...

of all human beings and relationships, what she views as the remnants of Austria's fascist past in public and private life, and what she views as the systematic

exploitation Exploitation may refer to: *Exploitation of natural resources *Exploitation of labour ** Forced labour *Exploitation colonialism *Slavery ** Sexual slavery and other forms *Oppression *Psychological manipulation In arts and entertainment *Exploi ...

and oppression of women in a capitalist-

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...

society. Jelinek has claimed in multiple interviews that the Austrian-Jewish satirical tradition has been a formative influence on her writing, citing Karl Kraus,

Elias Canetti Elias Canetti (; bg, Елиас Канети; 25 July 1905 – 14 August 1994) was a German-language writer, born in Ruse, Bulgaria to a Sephardic family. They moved to Manchester, England, but his father died in 1912, and his mother took her t ...

, and Jewish cabaret in particular. In an interview with Sigrid Löffler, Jelinek claimed that her work is considered an oddity in contemporary Austria, where she claims satire is unappreciated and misunderstood, "because the Jews are dead." She has stressed her Jewish identity as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, claiming a continuity with a Jewish-Viennese tradition that she believes has been destroyed by fascism and is dying out.

Work

Jelinek's output has included radio plays, poetry, theatre texts, polemical essays, anthologies, novels, translations, screenplays, musical compositions, libretti and ballets, film and video art. Jelinek's work is multi-faceted, and highly controversial. It has been praised and condemned by leading

literary critics Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis, philosophical discussion of literature' ...

. In the wake of the

Fritzl case The Fritzl case emerged in 2008, when a woman named Elisabeth Fritzl (born 6 April 1966) told police in the town of Amstetten, Lower Austria, Austria, that she had been held captive for 24 years by her father, Josef Fritzl (born 9 April 1935). J. ...

, for example, she was accused of "executing 'hysterical' portraits of Austrian perversity". Likewise, her political activism has encountered divergent and often heated reactions. Despite the controversy surrounding her work, Jelinek has won many distinguished awards; among them are the

Georg Büchner Prize The Georg Büchner Prize (german: link=no, Georg-Büchner-Preis) is the most important literary prize for German language literature, along with the Goethe Prize. The award is named after dramatist and writer Georg Büchner, author of '' Woyzeck ...

in 1998; the

Mülheim Dramatists Prize Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many comp ...

in 2002 and 2004; the

Franz Kafka Prize The Franz Kafka Prize is an international literary award presented in honour of Franz Kafka, the Jewish, Bohemian, German-language novelist. The prize was first awarded in 2001 and is co-sponsored by the Franz Kafka Society and the city of Pra ...

in 2004; and the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

, also in 2004.

Female sexuality Human female sexuality encompasses a broad range of behaviors and processes, including female sexual identity and Human sexual activity, sexual behavior, the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, and spiritual or religious ...

, sexual abuse, and the battle of the sexes in general are prominent topics in her work. Texts such as ''Wir sind Lockvögel, Baby!'' (''We are Decoys, Baby!''), ''

Die Liebhaberinnen Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicond ...

'' (''Women as Lovers'') and ''Die Klavierspielerin'' (''The Piano Teacher'') showcase the brutality and power play inherent in human relations in a style that is, at times, ironically formal and tightly controlled. According to Jelinek, power and aggression are often the principal driving forces of relationships. Likewise ''Ein Sportstück'' (''Sports Play'') explores the darker side of competitive sports. Her provocative novel ''

Lust Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It can ...

'' contains graphic description of sexuality, aggression and abuse. It received poor reviews by many critics, some of whom likened it to pornography. But others, who noted the power of the cold descriptions of moral failures, considered it to have been misunderstood and undervalued by them. Her novel '' The Piano Teacher'' was the basis for the 2001 film of the same title by Austrian director

Michael Haneke Michael Haneke (; born 23 March 1942) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, G ...

, starring

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

as the protagonist. In April 2006, Jelinek spoke out to support

, whose play ''Die Kunst des Fragens'' (''The Art of Asking'') was removed from the repertoire of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

for his alleged support of

Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević (, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the president of Serbia within Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1997 (originally the Socialist Republic of Serbia, a constituent republic of ...

. Her work is less known in English-speaking countries. However, in July and August 2012, a major English language premiere of her play ''Ein Sportstück'' by Just a Must theatre company brought her dramatic work to the attention of English-speaking audiences. The following year, in February and March 2013, the Women's Project in New York staged the North American premiere of ''Jackie'', one of her ''Princess Dramas''.

Political engagement

Jelinek was a member of Austria's

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

from 1974 to 1991. She became a household name during the 1990s due to her vociferous clash with

Jörg Haider Jörg Haider (; 26 January 1950 – 11 October 2008) was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of ...

's Freedom Party. Following the 1999 National Council elections, and the subsequent formation of a coalition cabinet consisting of the Freedom Party and the Austrian People's Party, Jelinek became one of the new cabinet's more vocal critics. Many foreign governments moved swiftly to ostracize Austria's administration, citing the Freedom Party's alleged nationalism and authoritarianism. The cabinet construed the sanctions against it as directed against Austria as such, and attempted to prod the nation into a national rallying (''Nationaler Schulterschluss'') behind the coalition parties. This provoked a temporary heating of the political climate severe enough for dissidents such as Jelinek to be accused of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

by coalition supporters. In the mid- to late-1980s, Jelinek was one of many Austrian intellectuals who signed a petition for the release of

Jack Unterweger Johann "Jack" Unterweger (16 August 1950 – 29 June 1994) was an Austrian serial killer who committed murder in several countries – Austria, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, and the United States. Initially convicted in 1974 of a sin ...

, who was imprisoned for the murder of a prostitute, and who was regarded by intellectuals and politicians as an example of successful rehabilitation. Unterweger was later found guilty of murdering nine more women within two years of his release, and committed suicide after his arrest.Johann Unterweger biography
Johann Unterweger. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 11:10, 22 November 2014.

Awards and honors

* 1996:

Literaturpreis der Stadt Bremen The Bremen Literature Prize (german: link=no, Literaturpreis der Stadt Bremen, literally: Literature Prize of the city of Bremen) is a German literary award. The prize money is €25,000 (Förderpreis: €6,000). Recipients *1954 Heinrich Schm ...

for ''Die Kinder der Toten'' * 1998:

* 2002:

Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis ("dramatist award of Mülheim"), founded in 1976, is one of the leading theater awards in Germany. It is awarded by an open jury of theater professionals, critics and playwrights who watch a short list of productions dur ...

for ''Macht Nichts'' * 2003: Else Lasker-Schüler Dramatist Prize * 2004:

Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden The Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden (War Blinded Audio Play Prize), also known as the Kriegsblindenpreis (War Blinded Prize) is the most important literary prize granted to playwrights of audio plays written in the German language. The award was e ...

for ''Jackie'' * 2004:

* 2004:

Stig Dagerman Prize The Stig Dagerman Prize ( sv, Stig Dagermanpriset) is a Swedish award given since 1996 by the Stig Dagerman Society and Älvkarleby municipality.

* 2004: Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis for ''Das Werk'' * 2009: Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis for ''Rechnitz (Der Würgeengel)'' * 2011: Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis for ''Winterreise'' * 2011 Honorary member of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

* 2017 Theatre prize

Der Faust ''Der Faust'', officially ''Deutscher Theaterpreis Der Faust'', is a German theatre prize, a national prize from 2006. It is awarded annually by the organizations Deutscher Bühnenverein, , Deutsche Akademie der Darstellenden Künste and the stat ...

for lifetime achievement * 2021 Honorary citizen of the City of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

* 2021

Nestroy Theatre Prize The Nestroy Theatre Prize is an Austrian theatre award named after the poet Johann Nestroy Johann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy (; 7 December 1801 – 25 May 1862) was a singer, actor and playwright in the popular Austrian tradition of the ...

for lifetime achievement

Publications

Poetry

* ''Lisas Schatten''; München 1967 * ''ende: gedichte von 1966–1968''; München 2000

Novels

* ''bukolit.hörroman'' (written 1968, published by Rhombus Verlag, 1979). ''bukolit: audio novel''. * ''wir sind lockvögel baby!'' ( Rowohlt, 1970). * ''Michael. Ein Jugendbuch für die Infantilgesellschaft'' (Rowohlt, 1972). * ''

'' (Rowohlt, 1975). ''Women as Lovers'', trans.

Martin Chalmers Martin Chalmers (11 November 1948 – 22 October 2014) was a British translator, particularly of works in German. He was awarded the Schlegel-Tieck Prize by the Society of Authors. He was married to the German author, Esther Kinsky. Translations ...

(London: Serpent's Tail, 1994). . * '' Die Ausgesperrten'' (Rowohlt, 1980). ''Wonderful, Wonderful Times'', trans.

Michael Hulse Michael Hulse (born 1955) is an English poet, translator and critic, notable especially for his translations of German novels by W. G. Sebald, Herta Müller, and Elfriede Jelinek. Life and works Hulse was educated locally in Stoke-on-Trent u ...

(London: Serpent's Tail, 1990). . * '' Die Klavierspielerin'' (Rowohlt, 1983). ''The Piano Teacher'', trans.

Joachim Neugroschel Joachim Neugroschel (13 January 1938—23 May 2011) was a Multilingualism, multilingual Translation#Literary translation, literary translator of French language, French, German language, German, Italian language, Italian, Russian language, Russi ...

(New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1988). . * ''Oh Wildnis, oh Schutz vor ihr'' (Rowohlt, 1985). * ''

'' (Rowohlt, 1989). ''Lust'', trans. Michael Hulse (London: Serpent's Tail, 1992). . * ''

Die Kinder der Toten ''The Children of the Dead'' (german: Die Kinder der Toten) is a novel by Elfriede Jelinek, first published in 1995 by Rowohlt Verlag. It is commonly regarded as her magnum opus. The novel won the Literaturpreis der Stadt Bremen in 1996. The pr ...

'' (Rowohlt, 1995). ''The Children of the Dead''. * '' Gier'' (Rowohlt, 2000). ''Greed'', trans. Martin Chalmers (London: Serpent's Tail, 2006). . * ''Neid'' (2007). ''Envy.'' Private novel published on Jelinek's website. * '' rein GOLD. ein bühnenessay'' (Rowohlt, 2013). ''rein GOLD'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2021).

Plays

* '' Was geschah, nachdem Nora ihren Mann verlassen hatte; oder Stützen der Gesellschaften'' (1979). ''What Happened after Nora Left Her Husband; or Pillars of Society.'' Premiered at

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

, October 1979. * '' Clara S, musikalische Tragödie'' (1982). ''Clara S, a Musical Tragedy.'' Premiered at Bonn, 1982. * '' Krankheit oder Moderne Frauen. Wie ein Stück'' (1984). ''Illness or Modern Women. Like a Play''. Premiered at Bonn, 1987. *'' Burgtheater. Posse mit Gesang'' (1985). ''Burgtheater. Farce with Songs.'' Premiered at Bonn, 1985. * ''Begierde und Fahrererlaubnis (eine Pornographie)'' (1986). ''Desire and Permission to Drive – Pornography''. Premiered at the Styrian Autumn, Graz, 1986. * ''Wolken. Heim'' (1988). ''Clouds. Home''. Premiered at Bonn, 1988. *''Präsident Abendwind. Ein Dramolett, sehr frei nach Johann Nestroy'' (1992). ''President Abendwind. A dramolet, very freely after Johann Nestroy.'' Premiered at Tyrol Landestheater,

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, 1992. * ''Totenauberg'' (1992). Premiered at Burgtheater (

Akademietheater The Akademietheater in Vienna, Austria, is the smaller of two performance halls of the Burgtheater organization. It was constructed in the years 1911 to 1913 by architects Fellner & Helmer Fellner & Helmer was an architecture studio founded in 1 ...

), 1992. * ''Raststätte oder Sie machens alle. Eine Komödie'' (1994). ''Service Area or They're All Doing It. A Comedy.'' Premiered at Burgtheater, 1994. * ''Stecken, Stab und Stangl. Eine Handarbeit'' (1996). ''Rod, Staff, and Crook – Handmade.'' Premiered at

Deutsches Schauspielhaus The Deutsches Schauspielhaus is a theatre in the St. Georg quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany. It was established in 1901 by the renowned stage actress Franziska Ellmenreich. Theatre managers Notable actors Marco Albrecht, Ingrid ...

, 1996. * ''

Ein Sportstück ''Ein Sportstück'' is a play by Austrian playwright Elfriede Jelinek. It was first published in 1998. The premiere took place on 23 January 1998 at the Burgtheater in Vienna under the auspices of the German director Einar Schleef Einar Schleef ...

'' (1998). ''Sports Play'', trans. Penny Black (Oberon Books, 2012). Premiered at Burgtheater, 1998; English-language premiere in Lancaster, 11 July 2012. Also translated by Lillian Banks as ''Sports Chorus'' for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow. * ''er nicht als er (zu, mit Robert Walser)'' (1998). ''Her Not All Her: On/With Robert Walser'', trans.

Damion Searls Damion Searls is an American writer and translator. He grew up in New York and studied at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. He specializes in translating literary works from Western European languages such as German, No ...

(Sylph Editions, 2012). Premiered at

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amad ...

in conjunction with

, 1998. * ''Das Lebewohl'' (2000). ''Les Adieux.'' Premiered at

Berliner Ensemble The Berliner Ensemble () is a German theatre company established by actress Helene Weigel and her husband, playwright Bertolt Brecht, in January 1949 in East Berlin. In the time after Brecht's exile, the company first worked at Wolfgang Langho ...

, 2000. * '' Das Schweigen'' (2000). ''Silence''. Premiered at

, 2000. * '' Der Tod und das Mädchen II'' (2000). ''Death and the Maiden II.'' Premiered at

Expo 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially some 40 million people were expe ...

in conjunction with the Saarbrücken Staatstheater and ZKM Karlsruhe. * ''MACHT NICHTS – Eine Kleine Trilogie des Todes'' (2001). ''NO PROBLEM – A Little Trilogy of Death.'' Premiered at

Schauspielhaus Zürich The Schauspielhaus Zürich ( en, Zürich playhouse) is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the German-speaking world. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three s ...

, 2001. * ''In den Alpen'' (2002). ''In the Alps''. Premiered at

Munich Kammerspiele The Munich Kammerspiele (German: Münchner Kammerspiele) is a state-funded German-language theater company based at the ''Schauspielhaus'' on Maximilianstrasse in the Bavarian capital. The company currently has three venues: the main stage of ...

in conjunction with

, 2002. * ''Prinzessinnendramen: Der Tod und das Mädchen I-III und IV-V'' (2002). ''Princess Dramas: Death and the Maiden I-III and IV-V''. Parts I-III premiered at

, 2002; Parts IV-V premiered at Deutsches Theater, 2002. * ''

Das Werk ''Das Werk'' (''The Works'', sometimes translated as ''The Plant'') is a play by the Nobel Prize winning Austrian playwright and novelist Elfriede Jelinek. About It premiered at the Akademietheater in Vienna on 11 April 2003, under the direct ...

'' (2003). Premiered at Burgtheater (

), 2003. * '' Bambiland'' (2003). Trans. Lilian Friedberg (2007). Premiered at Burgtheater, 2003. * ''Irm und Margit A part of "Attabambi Pornoland"'' (2004). Premiered at

, 2004. * ''Ulrike Maria Stuart'' (2006). Premiered at Thalia Theater, 2006. * ''Über Tiere'' (2006). * ''Rechnitz (Der Würgeengel)'' (2008). ''Rechnitz (The Exterminating Angel)''. * '' Die Kontrakte des Kaufmanns. Eine Wirtschaftskomödie'' (2009). ''The Merchant's Contracts''. * ''Das Werk / Im Bus / Ein Sturz'' (2010). Premiered at

Schauspiel Köln Schauspiel Köln is a theatre and company in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It forms together with the Cologne Opera and other houses the Bühnen der Stadt Köln (Stages of the city of Cologne). The listed building has 830 seats in th ...

, 2010. * ''Winterreise'' (2011). Premiered at

, 2011. * ''Kein Licht'' (2011). Premiered at

, 2011 * ''FaustIn and out'' (2011). Premiered at

, 2012. * ''Die Straße. Die Stadt. Der Überfall'' (2012). Premiered at

, 2012. * ''Schatten (Eurydike sagt)'' (2013). ''Shadow. Eurydice Says'', trans. Gitta Honegger (2017). Premiered at Burgtheater, 2013. * ''Aber sicher!'' (2013). Premiered at

Theater Bremen Theater Bremen (Bremen Theatre) is a state theatre in Bremen, Germany, with four divisions for opera, straight theater, dance, and student programs. Its venues are located in a city block, connected in architecture and seating up to 1,426 spectato ...

, 2013. * '' Die Schutzbefohlenen'' (2013). ''Charges (The Supplicants)'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Seagull Books, 2016). First read at Hamburg, 2013; first produced at Mannheim, 23 May 2014. *''Das schweigende Mädchen'' (2014). Premiered at Munich, 27 September 2014. *''Wut'' (2016). ''Fury'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Seagull Books, 2022). Premiered at Munich, 16 April 2016. *''Am Königsweg'' (2017). ''On the Royal Road: The Burgher King'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Seagull Books, 2020). Premiered at Hamburg, 28 October 2017. *''Schnee Weiss'' (2018). Premiered at Cologne, 21 December 2018. *''Schwarzwasser'' (2020). Premiered at Vienna, 6 February 2020.

Opera libretto

* '' Lost Highway'' (2003), adapted from the film by David Lynch, with music by

Olga Neuwirth Olga Neuwirth (born 4 August 1968 in Graz) is an Austrian classical composer, visual artist and author. She gained fame mainly through her operas and music theater works, which often deal with topical and decidedly political themes of identity, ...

Translations

* ''Die Enden der Parabel'' (''

Gravity's Rainbow ''Gravity's Rainbow'' is a 1973 novel by American writer Thomas Pynchon. The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military. In particular, ...

'') novel by

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, genres and themes, including history, music, scie ...

; 1976 * ''Herrenjagd'' drama by

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parent ...

; 1983 * ''Floh im Ohr'' drama by

; 1986 * ''Der Gockel'' drama by

; 1986 * ''Die Affaire Rue de Lourcine'' drama by

Eugène Labiche Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parent ...

; 1990 * ''Der Jude von Malta'' drama by

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...

; 2001 * ''Ernst sein ist alles'' drama by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

; 2004 * ''Der ideale Mann'' drama by

; 2011 * Poetry and short stories from Latin American authors

Jelinek's works in English translation

*'' The Piano Teacher'', trans.

(New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1988). . *''

Wonderful, Wonderful Times ''Wonderful, Wonderful Times'' (German: ''Die Ausgesperrten'') is a novel by Austrian writer Elfriede Jelinek, published in 1980 by Rowohlt Verlag. It is Jelinek's fifth book. An English translation by Michael Hulse was published in 1990 by Serp ...

'', trans.

(London: Serpent's Tail, 1990). . * ''

'', trans. Michael Hulse (London: Serpent's Tail, 1992). . * ''

Women as Lovers ''Women as Lovers'' is the sixth studio album by American avant-garde band Xiu Xiu. It was released on January 29, 2008, by Kill Rock Stars, and shares its title with the Martin Chalmers translation of Elfriede Jelinek's 1975 novel '' Die Li ...

'', trans.

(London: Serpent's Tail, 1994). . * ''

Greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as status, or power. Greed has been identified as und ...

'', trans. Martin Chalmers (London: Serpent's Tail, 2006). . * ''Bambiland'', trans. Lilian Friedberg (2009), in ''Theater'' 39.3, pp. 111–43. *''Her Not All Her: On/With Robert Walser'', trans.

(Sylph Editions, 2012). *''Sports Play'', trans. Penny Black (Oberon Books, 2012). *''Sports Chorus'', trans. Lilian Banks (2012), in ''Sport in Art'', commissioned by Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków. * ''Rechnitz and The Merchant's Contracts'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Seagull Books, 2015). . * ''Charges (The Supplicants)'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Seagull Books, 2016). . *''Three Plays: Rechnitz, The Merchant's Contracts, Charges (The Supplicants)'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Seagull Books, 2019). *''On the Royal Road: The Burgher King'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Seagull Books, 2020). *''rein GOLD'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2021). *''Fury'', trans. Gitta Honegger (Seagull Books, 2022).

References

External links

*
Elfriede Jelinek-Forschungszentrum
* including the Nobel Lecture on 7 December 2004 ''Sidelined''
BBC synopsisList of works

Elfriede Jelinek: Nichts ist verwirklicht. Alles muss jetzt neu definiert werden.

Some of Jelinek's poems in English from the Poetry FoundationSound recordings with Elfriede Jelinek
in the Online Archive of the

Österreichische Mediathek The Österreichische Mediathek ("Austrian Mediathek") is the Austrian archive for sound recordings and videos on cultural and contemporary history. It was founded in 1960 as Österreichische Phonothek (Austrian Phonothek) by the Ministry of Educat ...

(Literary readings, interviews and radio reports) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jelinek, Elfriede 1946 births 21st-century Austrian Jews Living people Nobel laureates in Literature Austrian Nobel laureates Jewish Austrian writers Jewish feminists Jewish dramatists and playwrights Jewish novelists Jewish socialists Jewish women writers Austrian women dramatists and playwrights Austrian communists Austrian feminists Austrian women novelists Austrian people of Czech-Jewish descent Austrian people of German descent Austrian people of Romanian descent BDSM writers Communist Party of Austria politicians Georg Büchner Prize winners People from Mürzzuschlag Women Nobel laureates 20th-century Austrian women writers 21st-century Austrian women writers 20th-century Austrian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Austrian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Austrian novelists 21st-century Austrian novelists Austrian socialist feminists Communist women writers German-language poets