Gert Jonke (8 February 1946 – 4 January 2009) was an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
,
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
and novelist.
Life
Jonke was born and educated in
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
, Austria. He attended the
Gymnasium (university preparatory school) and the
Conservatory. After he served his mandatory military service, he continued his studies at the College of Music and Representative Art 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 ...
in the Film and Television Department. He did not, however, complete his studies there, nor his studies of
History
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
,
Philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
,
Music Theory
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...
, or
German Studies
German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...
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 ...
which followed. Despite this, in 1971 he received a scholarship to study in
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
, where he stayed for five years. He then lived for a year in London, followed by extensive travels through the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
, after which he settled again in Austria.
Jonke died of cancer at the age of 62 on 4 January 2009, in Vienna. He was given a
grave of honor (german: Ehrengrab) in the
Zentralfriedhof
The Vienna Central Cemetery (german: Wiener Zentralfriedhof) is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its ...
, the central cemetery in Vienna.
Recognition
* 1977
Ingeborg Bachmann Prize
The Festival of German-Language Literature (german: Tage der deutschsprachigen Literatur, links=no) is a literary event which takes place annually in Klagenfurt, Austria. During this major literary festival which lasts for several days a number of ...
* 1980
Literature Prize of the University City of Marburg
* 1984 Manuscripts prize of Styria
* 1987
Austrian Prize for Literature
* 1988
Prize of the Frankfurt Authors Foundation
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
* 1990–1993 Robert Musil scholarship
* 1991
International Bodensee-Culture Prize
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
* 1993 Merit Award of the City of Vienna
* 1994
Anton Wildgans Prize
The Anton Wildgans Prize of Austrian Industry is a literary award that was endowed in 1962 by the Federation of Austrian Industry. The prize is worth 15,000 Euro and is granted by an independent jury to a young or middle-aged writer of Austrian c ...
* 1997
Erich Fried Prize The Erich Fried Prize (german: Erich-Fried-Preis) is a literary prize in honour of the Austrian poet Erich Fried, and is awarded annually by the for Literature and Language, based in Vienna. The value of the prize, endowed by the office of the Chan ...
* 1997
Franz Kafka Literature Prize Franz may refer to:
People
* Franz (given name)
* Franz (surname)
Places
* Franz (crater), a lunar crater
* Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada
* Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...
of the city of
Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg (; frequently abbreviated as Kloburg by locals) is a town in Tulln District in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It has a population of about 27,500. The Klosterneuburg Monastery, which was established in 1114 and soon after give ...
* 1998
Berlin Literature Prize
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
* 2001
Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature
The Grand Austrian State Prize () is a decoration given annually by Austria to an artist for exceptional work. The recipient must be an Austrian citizen with a permanent residence in Austria.
It was originally created in 1950 by then education mi ...
* 2003
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 ...
Best Author for ''Chorphantasie''
* 2005
Kleist Prize
The Kleist Prize is an annual German literature prize. The prize was first awarded in 1912, on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the death of Heinrich von Kleist. The Kleist Prize was the most important literary award of the Weimar Re ...
* 2006
Arthur Schnitzler Prize
* 2006 Nestroy Theatre Prize Best Author for ''Die versunkene Kathedrale'' (The Sunken Cathedral)
* 2008 Nestroy Theatre Prize Best Author for ''Free Fall''
Novels (translated into English)
* 2000 ''Geometric Regional Novel'' (Champaign:
Dalkey Archive Press
Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...
)
* 2008 ''Homage to Czerny: Studies in Virtuoso Technique'' (Champaign:
Dalkey Archive Press
Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...
)
* 2009 ''Blinding Moment: Four Pieces About Composers'' (Riverside: Ariadne Press)
* 2009 ''System of Vienna: From Heaven Street to Earth Mound Square'' (Champaign:
Dalkey Archive Press
Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...
)
* 2010 ''The Distant Sound'' (Champaign:
Dalkey Archive Press
Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...
) June 2010.
* 2012 ''Awakening to the Great Sleep War'' (Champaign:
Dalkey Archive Press
Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...
) December 2012.
Theatreplays
* ''At that time, Graz'', Forum Stadtpark Graz 1989
* ''The Perfidy of the Wind Machines''
* ''Gentle Rage or the Ear Engineer'', Theater Sonata, Styriarte Graz 1990
* ''Opus 111'', Volkstheater Vienna 1993
* ''The Presence of Memory'', Volkstheater Vienna 1995
* ''There sing the Stones'', Stadttheater Klagenfurt 1998
* ''Insektarium'', Volkstheater Vienna 1999
* ''The Birds'', UA Volkstheater Wien 2002
* ''Choir Phantasy'', Schauspielhaus Graz, 2003
* ''Speaker around the Clock'', Semper-Depot Vienna, 2004
* ''Strange Case'', Ruhrtriennale, 2005
* ''The Sunken Cathedral'',
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in Vi ...
Vienna 2005
* ''Gentle Rage or The Ear Engineer'', First Performance in
Sign Language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...
with the deaf actor Werner Mössler by
ARBOS - Company for Music and Theatre
ARBOS is an Italian agricultural machinery company located in Migliarina di Carpi, Modena, Italy. It was founded in 1954 in Piacenza, Italy. ARBOS manufactures Tractor, tractors, fertilizer equipment, Seed drill, seeding equipment and Sprayer, spr ...
Vienna 2006
* ''Free Fall'', UA Akademietheater Vienna 2008
24.5.2008
Review of the perfoamnce
* ''Bursting Suddenly'', aktionstheater ensemble at the Festspielhaus Bregenz
Bregenz (; gsw, label= Vorarlbergian, Breagaz ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switze ...
and Semper Depot Vienna 2008
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonke, Gert
1946 births
2009 deaths
Austrian male dramatists and playwrights
Writers from Klagenfurt
Anton Wildgans Prize winners
Kleist Prize winners
Ingeborg Bachmann Prize winners
Recipients of the Grand Austrian State Prize
20th-century Austrian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Austrian male writers