Peter Härtling (; 13 November 1933 – 10 July 2017) was a German writer,

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 wri ...

, publisher and journalist. He received the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

for his major contribution to German literature.

Biography

Härtling was born in Chemnitz, and spent the early part of his childhood living in Hartmannsdorf,

Mittweida Mittweida () is a town in Saxony, Germany, in the Mittelsachsen district. Geography Mittweida is situated on the river Zschopau, 18 km north of Chemnitz, and 54 km west of Dresden. Embedded within the steep hills and valleys of the riv ...

, where his father maintained a law firm. Following the outbreak of

World War II 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 opposing ...

, the family moved to the German-occupied town of

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on t ...

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

. Like many of the town's German residents, Härtling's family fled before the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

's advance on the city during the final months of the war; the family briefly settled in

Zwettl __NOTOC__ Zwettl (; Central Bavarian: ''Zwedl''; Czech: ''Světlá'') is a town and district capital of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is chiefly known as the location of Zwettl Abbey, first mentioned in October 1139. History The n ...

, Austria. Härtling's father was captured by the Russians, and died in June 1945 at the

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

in Dollersheim. Following the conclusion of

, Härtling finally settled in

Nürtingen Nürtingen () is a town on the river Neckar in the district of Esslingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. History The following events occurred, by year: *1046: First mention of ''Niuritingin'' in the document of Speyer ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

. His mother committed suicide in October 1946. He studied under

HAP Grieshaber Helmut Andreas Paul Grieshaber or HAP Grieshaber (15 February 1909 – 12 May 1981) was a German artist. His preferred medium was large format woodcuts. Biography Grieshaber was born in Rot an der Rot. He went to school in Nagold and later in R ...

at the Bernsteinschule art school, before starting work as a journalist. Härtling had his first collection of poetry published in 1953. From 1967 to 1973, Härtling was the managing director of the German publishing house S. Fischer Verlag, located in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

. Härtling became a full-time writer after leaving S. Fischer Verlag. In the winter semester of 1983/84, he hosted the annual Frankfurter Poetik-Vorlesungen, a lecture series, in which a prominent writer discourses on topics pertaining to their work. Härtling used his lectureship to demonstrate the process of using a found object as the inspiration for a literary work. During the series of lectures, he wrote ''Der spanische Soldat'', a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

based on a photograph by

Robert Capa Robert Capa (born Endre Ernő Friedmann; October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a Hungarian-American war photographer and photojournalist as well as the companion and professional partner of photographer Gerda Taro. He is considered by some t ...

. Härtling worked as the editor of the magazine ''Der Monat'', and as the president of the Hölderlin society. In 1973 he moved to

Mörfelden-Walldorf Mörfelden-Walldorf is a town in the Groß-Gerau district, situated in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region in the federal state (Bundesland) Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Mörfelden-Walldorf is situated within a triangle formed by the South He ...

where he lived until his death on 10 July 2017.

Literary themes

Härtling devoted a large proportion of his literary output – both in poetry, and in prose – to the reclamation of history, and his own past. His autobiographical novel, ''Zwettl'' (1973), deals with the period he spent living in Lower Austria, after his family fled from the Red Army. ''Nachgetragene Liebe'' (1980) recounts Härtling's earliest memories of his deceased father. Another major influence on Härtling's works has been the literature and music of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

. Amongst other works, Härtling has written fictionalised biographical works on the writers

Friedrich Hölderlin Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticism. Part ...

, Wilhelm Waiblinger and E. T. A. Hoffmann, and the composers

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

, and Robert Schumann.

Children's literature

In 1969, after writing a eulogy for the Czech

children's writer Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

Jan Procházka, Härtling began writing books for children. His first children's book, ''Und das ist die ganze Familie'', was published the following year. His children's literature has often focused on social problems involving children. In ''Das war der Hirbel'' (1973), he wrote about the home of a maladjusted child, and ''Oma'' (1975) talks about aging and death, whilst ''Theo haut ab'' (1977) deals with being uprooted from home and family. There are English translations of several of his children's books, including ''Granny'' (''Oma''), ''Crutches'' (''Krücke''), ''Ben Loves Anna'' (''Ben liebt Anna''), ''Old John'' (''Alter John''), and ''Herbie's World'' (''Das war der Hirbel'').

Radio

Härtling moderated ''Literatur im Kreuzverhör'', a radio show on the cultural radio station of

Hessischer Rundfunk Hessischer Rundfunk (HR; "Hesse Broadcasting") is the German state of Hesse's public broadcasting corporation. Headquartered in Frankfurt, it is a member of the national consortium of German public broadcasting corporations, ARD. Studios Do ...

Awards

Peter Härtling's awards include: * 1964: Deutscher Kritikerpreis for ''Niembsch'' * 1965:

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Literature Prize for ''Niembsch'' * 1966: Ehrengabe des Kulturkreises im Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie for ''Niembsch''.

Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger The Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book Prize) is a French literary prize created in 1948. It is awarded yearly in two categories: Novel and Essay for books translated into French. Prix du Meilleur livre étranger — Novel *2020: ...

for the French edition of ''Niembsch'' * 1971: Gerhart Hauptmann prize of the Freien Volksbühne Berlin for ''Gilles'' * 1974: Schubart-Literaturpreis * 1976:

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...

(Children's book) for ''Oma''. * 1977: Stadtschreiber von Bergen * 1978: Wilhelmine-Lübke-Preis * 1980: Zurich children's literature prize ''La vache qui lit'' for ''Ben liebt Anna'' and ''Sofie macht Geschichten''. * 1982: Naturschutzpreis der Kreisgruppe Groß-Gerau des Bundes für Umwelt und Naturschutz. * 1987: Hermann Sinsheimer prize and

Friedrich Hölderlin prize Friedrich may refer to: Names * Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' * Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other * Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Year ...

* 1992: Lion Feuchtwanger prize. * 1994: Awarded the title of

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

by the state of

* 1995: Awarded the Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz * 1995:

Mainzer Stadtschreiber The Mainzer Stadtschreiber (City clerk in Mainz) is an annual German literature award. It is awarded by ZDF, 3sat and the city of Mainz and was founded in 1984. The award is endowed with €12,500. Additionally the laureate receives the right to l ...

* 1996: Awarded the Wilhelm Leuschner medal of

Hessen Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darms ...

* 1996: Awarded the Karl Preusker Medal by the German Literature Conference * 2000: Eichendorff Literature Prize * 2001:

(Special prize) for his major contribution to children's literature * 2001: Dresdner Poetikdozentur zur Literatur Mitteleuropas (Publikatio

* 2003: Deutscher Bücherpreis for his contribution to literature * 2004:

Honorary citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

* 2006: Gerty Spies Literature Prize * 2006: Finalist, Hans Christian Andersen Award"2006"
''Hans Christian Andersen Awards''.

International Board on Books for Young People The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is an international non-profit organization committed to bringing books and children together. The headquarters of the IBBY are located in Basel, Switzerland. IBBY history In 1952, Jella Lepm ...

(IBBY). With contemporary material including th
press release, 27 March 2006
Retrieved 22 March 2014. * 2007:

Corine Literature Prize The Corine – International Book Prize, as it is officially called, is a German literature prize created by the Bavarian chapter of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, first awarded in 2001. It is awarded to German and international "aut ...

of the Bavarian Prime Minister for his contribution to literature * 2010: Jacob Grimm Prize * 2014: Hessischer Kulturpreis

Music

Wilhelm Killmayer Wilhelm Killmayer (21 August 1927 – 20 August 2017) was a German composer of classical music, a conductor and an academic teacher of composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München from 1973 to 1992. He composed symphonies and s ...

set nine of his poems in his song cycle ' in 1968.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartling, Peter 1933 births 2017 deaths People from Chemnitz 20th-century German novelists 21st-century German novelists Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg German children's writers German poets German male short story writers German short story writers German essayists German male poets German male novelists German-language poets Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin German male essayists Writers from Saxony 20th-century German short story writers 21st-century short story writers 20th-century essayists 21st-century essayists 20th-century German male writers 21st-century German male writers