Robert Menasse (born 21 June 1954) is an Austrian writer.

Biography

Menasse was born 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 ...

. As an undergraduate, he studied

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 ...

, philosophy and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

in Vienna,

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

and

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

. In 1980 he completed his PhD thesis "Der Typus des Außenseiters im Literaturbetrieb. Am Beispiel Hermann Schürrer" ("The outsider phenotype within literature"). Between 1981 and 1988 Menasse worked as a junior lecturer at the Institute of Literature Theory at the

University of São Paulo The University of São Paulo ( pt, Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution, the best ...

, Brazil. He has been working as a freelance publicist, columnist and translator of novels from

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

into German ever since. His first novel ''Sinnliche Gewissheit'', published in 1988, is a semi-autobiographical tale of Austrians living in exile in Brazil. The magazine ''

Literatur und Kritik The Austrian literary magazine ''Literatur und Kritik'' (''Literature and Critical Reviews'') was founded in April 1966 by the Austrian writers Rudolf Henz, Gerhard Fritsch, and Paul Kruntorad as successor of the literary publication ''Wort in der Z ...

'' published Menasse's first poem ("Kopfwehmut") in 1989. His later novels were ''Selige Zeiten, brüchige Welt'' (1991, translated into English as ''Wings of Stone'' ), ''Schubumkehr'' (1995, Engl. ''Reverse Thrust'') and ''Die Vertreibung aus der Hölle'' (2001, Engl. ''Expulsion from Hell''). Menasse's language is at times playful and at times subtly sarcastic. Recurring themes in his novels are

loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism which motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perceived lack ...

and alienation within human relationships and as a result of his character's lives' circumstances. In his work Menasse often criticises what he sees as the latent form of

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

still widespread in the German-speaking world today. Menasse has also written some essays on Austria (especially on Austrian

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...

and history; "Land ohne Eigenschaften" (1992) a.o.). More recently, he wrote about the future of Europe and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, criticizing tendencies of re-nationalization (especially in Germany, but also elsewhere) and anti-

European integration European integration is the process of industrial, economic integration, economic, political, legal, social integration, social, and cultural Regional integration, integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integrat ...

movements, which he interprets as a reaction to the

financial crisis of 2007–2008 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fi ...

and its aftermath (

Euro crisis The European debt crisis, often also referred to as the eurozone crisis or the European sovereign debt crisis, is a multi-year debt crisis that took place in the European Union (EU) from 2009 until the mid to late 2010s. Several eurozone membe ...

) ("Der europäische Landbote", 2012). Since returning to Europe from Brazil, Menasse has mainly lived in the cities of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Vienna and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. He currently lives in Vienna and is married. Since 2011 Menasse has been curating a writer in residence programme with the

one world foundation one world foundation is a non-profit aid organisation in Sri Lanka, which operates a school for more than 1,100 children, adolescents and adults. The project is financed with the proceeds from a guest house and from donations. The foundation is ...

in Sri Lanka. His books have been translated in over twenty languages, among others: Arabic, Bask, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, English, Flemish, French, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish. Today, Menasse lives alternately in Vienna, in the

Waldviertel The (Forest Quarter; Central Bavarian: ) is the northwestern region of the northeast Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is bounded to the south by the Danube, to the southwest by Upper Austria, to the northwest and the north by the Czech Repu ...

(Forest Quarter) in

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

, and in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. He is the son of the footballer

Hans Menasse Hans Menasse (5 March 1930 – 28 February 2022) was an Austrian footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American ...

and the brother of the journalist and writer

Eva Menasse Eva Menasse (born 11 May 1970 in Vienna) is an Austrian author and journalist. She has studied history and German literature. Menasse had a successful career as a journalist, writing for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Frankfurt and as a ...

Novels

Robert Menasse's first short story ''Nägelbeißen'' (Engl. Nail-Biting) was published in the journal ''Neue Wege'' in 1973. From 1975 to 1980 he worked on his unfinished and unpublished novel ''Kopfwehmut'' (Engl. Mind's Melancholy), a social novel set in 1970s Vienna. His first published novel, ''Sinnliche Gewißheit'' (Engl. Sensual Certainty) appeared in 1988 as the first part of a trilogy started in Brazil ''Trilogie der Entgeisterung'' (Engl. Trilogy of Dismay), which also includes the 1991 novel ''Selige Zeiten, brüchige Welt'' (Engl. ''Wings of Stone'', 2000), which is at once a crime story, a philosophical novel and a Jewish family saga, and finally the 1995 novel ''Schubumkehr'' (Engl. ''Reverse Thrust'', 2000) as well as the postscript Phänomenologie der Entgeisterung (1995, Engl. Phenomenology of Dismay). In ''Schubumkehr'', against the background of the private life of the literature teacher Roman, who was already introduced in ''Selige Zeiten, brüchige Welt'', Menasse describes the fall of the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

in 1989 and the breakdown of the familiar order in a small Austrian village. This novel, which is not least an artistic treatment of the spirit of the age, was awarded the Grimmelshausen Prize in 1999 and made the author a household name. As suggested already by the title of the novel ''Schubumkehr'' and in the ''Trilogie der Entgeisterung'' Menasse turns Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit on its head. In contrast to

Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...

, who assumes a development of human consciousness to all-embracing spirit, Menasse postulates a regressive development, whose final stage will be "sensual certainty", according to Hegel the most naïve form of consciousness. In his novel ''Die Vertreibung aus der Hölle'' (2001; Engl. Expulsion from Hell) Menasse casts doubt on the objectivity of history, coupled with the personal history of the author and his Jewish roots. As a spin-off of his researches on the character and real person

Menasseh Ben Israel Manoel Dias Soeiro (1604 – 20 November 1657), better known by his Hebrew name Menasseh ben Israel (), also known as Menasheh ben Yossef ben Yisrael, also known with the Hebrew acronym, MB"Y or MBI, was a Portuguese rabbi, kabbalist, writ ...

for his novel ''Die Vertreibung aus der Hölle'' translated in ten languages, Menasse formulated the hypothesis of Abaelard‘s influence on

and

Spinoza Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, b ...

, published among others in his essay ''Enlightenment as Harmonious Strategy''. In 2007 he published ''Don Juan de la Mancha'', where he tells of more or less fictitious events from the (love) life of the newspaper editor Nathan – a mixture of listlessness, drive, lust and the search for the fulfilment of love. As a character, Nathan stands for the generation that was socialised in the 1970s with the claim for the “

sexual revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the United States and the developed world from the 1 ...

". In 2017 Menasse published his analytical novel ''Die Hauptstadt'' (The Capital), which has been described as the first novel about Brussels as the

's capital, and which received the

German Book Prize The German Book Prize (''Deutscher Buchpreis'') is awarded annually, in October, by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association (''Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels'') to the best new German language novel of the year. The books, publ ...

. The story is focused on officials from the Department of Culture, who are expected to add polish to the image of the

EU Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

on its birthday. This is to be accomplished with a "Big Jubilee Project" event with

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

survivors in Auschwitz. The life stories of characters lead the reader into six EU countries. The stage director Tom Kühnel and the dramaturg Ralf Fiedler translated the novel into a theatrical version with about twenty characters played by seven actors, which was premiered in January 2018 at the Theater am Neumarkt in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

. The English translation, ''The Capital'' by

Jamie Bulloch Jamie Bulloch (born 6 September 1969) is a British historian and translator of German literature. Life and work Jamie was born at East Dulwich Hospital in 1969. He grew up in Tooting, south-west London, attending first Rosemead School, then Wh ...

, was published by

MacLehose Press Quercus is a formerly independent publishing house, based in London, that was acquired by Hodder & Stoughton in 2014. It was founded in 2004 by Mark Smith and Wayne Davies. Quercus is known for its lists in crime (publishing such authors as El ...

in February 2019.

Essays and writings on cultural theory

Robert Menasse at the EP Brussels, March 2017

Augstein and Menasse, public talk at Neumarkt Zurich-1

In his political and journalistic work, Menasse is seen as an "old-style Enlightenment thinker," whose intellectual predecessors are especially

and

Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 p ...

but also

Georg Lukács Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * G ...

Ernst Bloch Ernst Simon Bloch (; July 8, 1885 – August 4, 1977; pseudonyms: Karl Jahraus, Jakob Knerz) was a German Marxist philosopher. Bloch was influenced by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Karl Marx, as well as by apocalyptic and religious thinkers ...

and the philosophers of the

Frankfurt School The Frankfurt School (german: Frankfurter Schule) is a school of social theory and critical philosophy associated with the Institute for Social Research, at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1929. Founded in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), dur ...

. Essays like ''Die sozialpartnerschaftliche Ästhetik'' (1990; The Aesthetics of Social Partnership) and ''Das Land ohne Eigenschaften'' (1992; The Country without Qualities), which brought Menasse fame as an essayist, but also provoked criticism for "fouling his own nest," were followed in time by the essay collections ''Hysterien und andere historische Irrtümer'' (1996; Hysterics and Other Historical Errors) and ''Dummheit ist machbar'' (1999; Stupidity is Doable), ''Erklär mir Österreich'' (2000; Explain Austria to Me) and ''Das war Österreich'' (2005; That Was Austria). In these texts the author deals in critical-ironic way with political history, mentality history and literary history of the second Republic of

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 ...

, takes a position on the current cultural policy situation in his homeland and recurrently draws attention to the latent continuity of

Austrofascism The Fatherland Front ( de-AT, Vaterländische Front, ''VF'') was the right-wing conservative, nationalist and corporatist ruling political organisation of the Federal State of Austria. It claimed to be a nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack ...

. Since 2005, i.e. since his Frankfurt Poetics Lecture, ''Die Zerstörung der Welt als Wille und Vorstellung'' (The Destruction of the World as Will and Representation), Menasse has increasingly devoted his essays to themes around the EU and

globalisation Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

. In this European or worldwide context Menasse criticises in particular what he sees as the deficits in democratic policies and the idea that these deficits are structurally determined, which he argues obscures the prospects of possible alternatives. In doing so he does not oppose the

in principle but bases his critique of democratic deficits especially in the influence and power of individual nation states, while valuing positively the purely European institutions, such as the Commission. In ''Der Europäische Landbote'' (2012; Engl. transl. 2016 as ''Enraged Citizens, European Peace and Democratic Deficits: Or Why the Democracy Given to Us Must Become One We Fight For The European Messenger''), he draws a portrait of the non-petty-minded supranational organs and bureaucracies of the EU in Brussels and further develops the "

Habsburg Myth The Habsburg Myth (german: Habsburgischer Mythos or ; it, Mito asburgico) is the name given to a political myth present in the historiography and literature of some Central and Eastern European countries, particularly in Austria, according to w ...

" of

Claudio Magris Claudio Magris (born 10 April 1939) is an Italian scholar, translator and writer. He was a senator for Friuli-Venezia Giulia from 1994 to 1996. Life Magris graduated from the University of Turin, where he studied German studies, and has been a ...

into a "European Myth". This also leads to a different and more positive retrospective of the Habsburg Monarchy. In this connection Menasse also speaks in favour of the specific vision and its realization of a “European Republic” formulated together with the political scientist

Ulrike Guérot Ulrike Beate Guérot (born 1964 in Grevenbroich, Germany) is a Berlin-based German political thinker and Founder and Director of the European Democracy Lab (EDL). In April 2016, the University for Continuing Education Krems appointed Ulrike Gu� ...

on the basis of a Europe of regions beyond the nation states.

Controversy about fake quotations

Menasse commenting In December 2018,

Welt am Sonntag Welt, welts or variants may refer to: Media * ''Die Welt'' (''The World''), a German national newspaper ** ''Welt am Sonntag'' (''World on Sunday''), the Sunday edition of ''Die Welt'' * ''Die Welt (Herzl), Die Welt'', former weekly newspaper in ...

revealed that Robert Menasse had fabricated several quotes attributed to

Walter Hallstein Walter Hallstein (17 November 1901 – 29 March 1982) was a German academic, diplomat and statesman who was the first President of the European Commission, President of the European Commission, Commission of the European Economic Community ...

(1901-1982), one of the founding fathers of the EU) to support his argument for overcoming nation states. Menasse had been using these alleged quotes in many of his articles, essays and speeches since 2013, and they had been taken up in parliamentary debates and publications by other authors. Menasse defended himself arguing that these sentences reflected what Hallstein had meant and that Hallstein "would have had nothing against" Menasse invoking his authority in this way. However, historian

Heinrich August Winkler Heinrich August Winkler (born 19 December 1938 in Königsberg) is a German historian. With his mother he joined the westward flight in 1944, after which he grew up in southern Germany, attending a Gymnasium in Ulm. He then studied history, pol ...

disputed Menasse's interpretation of Hallstein's actual statements on the matter.

Prizes, awards and scholarships

* 1987: State scholarship for literature of the Austrian ministry of education and literature * 1989: Encouragement prize for literature of the city of Vienna * 1990:

Heimito von Doderer Prize The Heimito von Doderer-Literaturpreis (Heimito von Doderer Literature Prize, short also: Heimito von Doderer Prize) was established in 1996 to commemorate the 100th birthday of Heimito von Doderer. It was created as a memorial to "one of the most ...

* 1991: State scholarship for literature of the Austrian ministry of education and literature * 1992:

Hans Erich Nossack Hans Erich Nossack (30 January 1901 – 2 November 1977) was a German writer. Among his works are ''Spätestens im November'' (1955), ''Der jüngere Bruder'' (1958) and ''Ein glücklicher Mensch'' (1975). In 1961 Nossack was awarded the Geo ...

encouragement prize for prose of the Kulturkreis der Deutschen Wirtschaft im Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie Köln * 1992:

Theodor Körner Prize The Theodor Körner Prize ( German: ''Theodor-Körner-Preis'') is a set of annual Austrian awards bestowed by the Theodor Körner Fund in recognition of cultural and/or scientific advances. The prize is awarded at the University of Vienna. The pri ...

* 1992/1993:

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 ...

-scholarship of the city of Vienna * 1994: Berlin residency in the context of the DAAD-scholarship * 1994: Marburger Literaturpreis i.e. Literaturpreis der Universitätsstadt Marburg und des Landkreises Marburg-Biedenkopf * 1994: Encouragement prize for novels of the Austrian ministry of education and literature * 1994:

Alexander Sacher Masoch Prize The Alexander Sacher Masoch Prize is a literary award which is conferred by the Literaturhaus, Vienna. The prize, worth 7,000 euros, is to support young Austrian writers. It was created in 1994 by the widow of the writer (1901–1972) and was ini ...

* 1996: of the city of Pirmasens * 1998: Österreichischer Staatspreis für Kulturpublizistik * 1999:

Grimmelshausen-Preis Grimmelshausen-Preis is a literary prize in Germany, which is awarded since 1993 on every two years. The prize is named after Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, author of Simplicius Simplicissimus, a famous German book. The prize money is ...

* 1999: Writer-in-residence in Amsterdam * 2002:

Joseph Breitbach Prize Joseph-Breitbach-Preis (Joseph Breitbach Prize) is a literary prize awarded by the Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz (Academy of Sciences and Literature of Mainz), in Germany and the Joseph Breitbach Foundation. Established in ...

* 2002:

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 ...

* 2002:

Lion-Feuchtwanger-Preis The Lion Feuchtwanger Prize is a German literary prize for historical prose. It is awarded by the Academy of Arts, Berlin on 7 July, the anniversary of his birthday. It was endowed by Marta Feuchtwanger, the widow of Lion Feuchtwanger. It was aw ...

* 2002:

Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize The Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize (''Marie Luise Kaschnitz-Preis'') is a German literary prize, awarded approximately every two years by the Tutzing Protestant Academy Evangelische Akademie Tutzing. It recognizes the lifetime achievements of writers ...

* 2003:

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 Cha ...

* 2006: Knight of the

Ordre des Arts et Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

* 2007: Prix Amphi of the University of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

for the novel ''Die Vertreibung aus der Hölle'' publ. in French as ''Chassés de l’enfer'' for the best non-French novel * 2010: Goldenes Wiener Verdienstzeichen * 2012: Österreichischer Kunstpreis für Literatur * 2013: Donauland-Sachbuchpreis for ''Der europäische Landbote. Die Wut der Bürger und der Friede Europas'' * 2013:

Heinrich Mann Prize The Heinrich Mann Prize () is an essay prize that has been awarded since 1953, first by the East German Academy of Arts, then by the Academy of Arts, Berlin. The prize, which comes with a €10,000 purse, is given annually on 27 March, Heinrich Ma ...

* 2013: (Engl. The political book), prize of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung * 2014:

Max Frisch Prize The Max Frisch Prize of the City of Zürich, created in 1996, is usually awarded every four years to writers in German-speaking countries. The prize is named after the Swiss writer Max Frisch (1911–1991). The literary award is endowed with a priz ...

of the city of Zurich * 2014: Großes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen des Landes Niederösterreich * 2015: Niederösterreichischer Kulturpreis – Würdigungspreis * 2015: 'Prix du livre européen' (Engl.

European Book Prize The European Book Prize (french: Le Prix du Livre Européen) is a European Union literary award established in 2007. It is organized by the association Esprit d'Europe in Paris. It seeks to promote European values, and to contribute to European ci ...

), that seeks to promote European values, and to contribute to European citizens' better understanding of the European Union as a cultural entity. * 2017:

* 2018: of the city of Aachen With the prize money that Robert Menasse received for the

Austrian State Prize The Austrian State Prize is an award given annually or biennially in various artistic fields for excellence by younger and middle-aged artists. The State Prize is currently (2012) worth €8,000. The categories are: : Fine arts (first award in 19 ...

(1998) he re-founded the ''Jean Améry- Preis für Europäische Essayistik'', whose winners so far have been Lothar Baier (1982), Barbara Sichtermann (1985), Mathias Greffrath (1988),

Reinhard Merkel Reinhard Merkel (born 16 April 1950) is a professor in criminal law and philosophy of law and a retired West German swimmer. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in the 200 m and 400 m individual medley and finished in sixth place in the lat ...

(1991), Franz Schuh (2000),

Doron Rabinovici Doron Rabinovici is an Israeli-Austrian writer, historian and essayist. He was born in Tel Aviv in 1961, and moved to Vienna in 1964. Overview His first book, ''Papirnik'' ( Suhrkamp, 1994), was a collection of short stories, most of them set i ...

(2002), Michael Jeismann (2004),

Drago Jančar Drago Jančar (born 13 April 1948) is a Slovenian writer, playwright and essayist. Jančar is one of the most well-known contemporary Slovene writers. In Slovenia, he is also famous for his political commentaries and civic engagement. Jančar's n ...

(2007),

Imre Kertész Imre Kertész (; 9 November 192931 March 2016) was a Hungarian author and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Literature, "for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history". He was ...

(2009),

Dubravka Ugrešić Dubravka Ugrešić (; born 27 March 1949) is a Yugoslav and later Croatian writer. A graduate of University of Zagreb, she has been based in Amsterdam since 1996 and refuses to identify as a Croatian writer. Early life and education Ugrešić ...

(2012),

Adam Zagajewski Adam Zagajewski (21 June 1945 – 21 March 2021) was a Polish poet, novelist, translator, and essayist. He was awarded the 2004 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the 2016 Griffin Poetry Prize Lifetime Recognition Award, the 2017 P ...

On the occasion of Zagajewski's award ceremony was published a conversation between Robert Menasse and

Cathérine Hug Cathérine Hug (born 1976) is a Swiss art historian and curator. Life and work Hug was born 1976 in Basel, Switzerland. With her parents and siblings she grew up in Saint-Ursanne and Delémont, Switzerland. Hug studied Computer Science, Media ...

: ''Warum? Das Vermächtnis des Jean Améry'', Siegburg (Buchhandlung R²) 2016. (2016) and

Karl-Markus Gauß Karl-Markus Gauß (born 14 May 1954, in Salzburg) is an Austrian contemporary writer, essayist and editor.In one single interview, Gauß by joke characterized himself ''to be an independent scholar.'' The interviewer, not being aware of this allusi ...

(2018).

Bibliography

* ''Sinnliche Gewißheit''. Roman. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1988, * ''Die sozialpartnerschaftliche Ästhetik. Essays zum österreichischen Geist''. Sonderzahl, Vienna 1990. * ''Selige Zeiten, brüchige Welt''. Roman. Residenz, Salzburg/Vienna 1991. . Translated into the English: ''Wings of Stone''. Calder Publications Ltd. 2000, transl. by David Bryer. * ''Das Land ohne Eigenschaften. Essay zur österreichischen Identität''. Sonderzahl, Vienna 1992. * ''Phänomenologie der Entgeisterung. Geschichte vom verschwindenden Wissen''. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1995. * ''Schubumkehr''. Novel. Residenz, Salzburg/Vienna 1995, * ''Hysterien und andere historische Irrtümer''. Nachwort von Rüdiger Wischenbart. Sonderzahl, Vienna 1996. * ''Überbau und Underground''. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1997, * With Elisabeth Menasse und

: ''Die letzte Märchenprinzessin''. Illustrated by Gerhard Haderer. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1997. * With Elisabeth Menasse und

: ''Der mächtigste Mann''. Illustrated by Kenneth Klein. Deuticke, Zsolnay, Vienna/Munich 1998. * ''Dummheit ist machbar. Begleitende Essays zum Stillstand der Republik''. Sonderzahl, Vienna 1999. * ''Erklär mir Österreich. Essays zur österreichischen Geschichte''. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2000. * ''Die Vertreibung aus der Hölle''. Roman. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2001. * ''Das war Österreich. Gesammelte Essays zum Land ohne Eigenschaften''. Hrsg. v. Eva Schörkhuber. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2005. * ''Die Zerstörung der Welt als Wille und Vorstellung – Frankfurter Poetikvorlesungen''. Edition Suhrkamp 2464, Frankfurt am Main 2006. * ''Das Paradies der Ungeliebten. Political theater play''. Debut performance on 7 October 2006 at the

Staatstheater Darmstadt The Staatstheater Darmstadt (Darmstadt State Theatre) is a theatre company and building in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, presenting opera, ballet, plays and concerts. It is funded by the state of Hesse and the city of Darmstadt. Its history began in ...

. * ''Don Juan de la Mancha oder die Erziehung der Lust''. Novel. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2007. . Translated into the English: ''Don Juan de la Mancha or an Education in Pleasure – Novel'', Alma Books/Calder Publications 2009. * ''Das Ende des Hungerwinters''. Lesung- Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 2008, . * ''Doktor Hoechst – Ein Faustspiel''. A Tragedy. A theater play. Debut performance on 25 April 2009, at the

. Production: Hermann Schein. * ''Ich kann jeder sagen: Erzählungen vom Ende der Nachkriegsordnung''. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2009. . Translated into the English: ''Anyone Can Say "I". Tales from the End of the Post-war Era''. Ariadne Books 2009, transl. by Thomas S. and Abby J. Hansen. * ''Permanente Revolution der Begriffe''. Vorträge zum Begriff der Abklärung, Essays. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2009, * ''Der Europäische Landbote, Die Wut der Bürger und der Friede Europas oder Warum die geschenkte Demokratie einer erkämpften weichen muss''. Zsolnay, Vienna 2012, . Translated into the English: ''Enraged Citizens, European Peace and Democratic Deficits: Or Why the Democracy Given to Us Must Become One We Fight For.'' Seagull Books 2016, transl. by Craig Decker, * ''Heimat ist die schönste Utopie. Reden (wir) über Europa''. Edition Suhrkamp, Berlin 2014, * ''"Weil Europa sich ändern muss." Im Gespräch mit

Gesine Schwan Gesine Schwan (née ''Schneider'', 22 May 1943) is a German political science professor and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. The party has nominated her twice as a candidate for the federal presidential elections. On 23 May 2004, ...

, Robert Menasse, Hauke Brunkhorst''. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2015, * ''Was ist Literatur. Ein Miniatur-Bildungsroman''. Bernstein-Verlag, Siegburg 2015, * ''Europe. The Future of History''. Catalogue and exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zurich (Zuercher Kunstgesellschaft).

und Robert Menasse (eds.), with contributions by a.o. Melinda Nadj Abonji,

Zygmunt Bauman Zygmunt Bauman (; 19 November 1925 – 9 January 2017) was a Polish sociologist and philosopher. He was driven out of the Polish People's Republic during the 1968 Polish political crisis and forced to give up his Polish citizenship. He emigrate ...

, Horst Bredekamp, Burcu Dogramaci, Julia Kristeva, Konrad Paul Liessmann, Thomas Maissen, NZZ libro 2015. * ''Feiert das Leben!'' Catalogue and exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna. Robert Menasse and

(eds.), with contributions by

Kader Attia Kader Attia (born 30 December 1970) is an Algerian-French artist. Early life Attia was born in Dugny, France to Algerian parents and was raised in Paris and Algeria. He studied at the '' l'école Duperré de Paris, l'école des arts appliqués ...

, Barbara Coudenhove-Kalergi, Daniel Knorr, Manuela Laubenberger,

Erik van Lieshout Erik Gerardus Franciscus van Lieshout is a Dutch contemporary artist most widely known for his installations. In 2018, he won the Heineken Prize for Art. Biography Erik van Lieshout was resident from 1990 to 1992 at de Ateliers ’63 in Haarle ...

Teresa Margolles Teresa Margolles (born 1963) is a Mexican conceptual artist, photographer, videographer, and performance artist. As an artist she researches the social causes and consequences of death.Prince Claus Fund (June 2012''Report from the 2012 Prince Clau ...

, Arnulf Rainer,

Hans Schabus Hans Schabus (born 25 January 1970) is an Austrian visual artist known primarily for his site-specific installations. Biography In 2002 Schabus exhibited a video piece in which he navigated the sewage canals of Vienna in a rowboat at Manifesta ...

, Hubert Scheibl,

Daniel Spoerri Daniel Spoerri (born 27 March 1930) is a Swiss artist and writer born in Romania. Spoerri is best known for his "snare-pictures," a type of assemblage or object art, in which he captures a group of objects, such as the remains of meals eaten by in ...

, Nives Widauer und Josef Zotter, Vienna 2016. * ''Europa. Akzente'', 3 /2016. Robert Menasse and Jo Lendle (eds.), with contributions by

Lily Brett Lily Brett (born Lilijahne Brajtsztajn 5 September 1946, Feldafing displaced persons camp, Bavaria, Germany) is an Australian novelist, essayist and poet. She lived in North Carlton and then Elwood/Caulfield (suburbs of Melbourne) from 1948 to ...

, György Dragomán, Dana Grigorcea,

Zbigniew Herbert Zbigniew Herbert (; 29 October 1924 – 28 July 1998) was a Polish poet, essayist, drama writer and moralist. He is one of the best known and the most translated post-war Polish writers. While he was first published in the 1950s (a volume title ...

Elfriede Jelinek 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 for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voi ...

, Ingo Schulze,

, among others. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2016. * ''Warum? Das Vermächtnis des Jean Améry.'' Robert Menasse on

Jean Améry Jean Améry (31 October 191217 October 1978), born Hanns Chaim Mayer, was an Austrian-born essayist whose work was often informed by his experiences during World War II. His most celebrated work, ''At the Mind's Limits: Contemplations by a Survi ...

, his impact and topicality (in an interview with

). Bernstein-Verlag, Siegburg 2016. * ''Kritik der Europäischen Vernunft – Critique de la raison européene – A Critique of European Reason. Festrede vor dem Europäischen Parlament: 60 Jahre Römische Verträge''. Including the “Manifesto for the foundation of a European Republic” co-written by Robert Menasse and

. Tri-Lingual Deutsch/Français/English. Bernstein-Verlag, Siegburg 2017. . * ''Die Hauptstadt'', Novel. Suhrkamp, Berlin 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menasse, Robert 1954 births Living people 20th-century Austrian novelists 21st-century Austrian novelists 20th-century Austrian male writers 21st-century Austrian male writers Austrian male novelists Jewish Austrian writers University of São Paulo faculty Austrian expatriates in Brazil Writers from Vienna Austrian essayists Male essayists 20th-century essayists 21st-century essayists 21st-century male writers German Book Prize winners