Feridun Zaimoglu
Encyclopedia
Feridun Zaimoğlu is a German author
and visual artist
of Turkish origin.
Zaimoğlu has developed since 1995 to have become one of the important poets of contemporary German language
. His central theme are the problems of the second and third generation of Turkish immigrants to Germany
.
, came in 1965 with his parents to Germany
. He lived until 1985 in Berlin
and Munich
, and then began studying Medicine
and Arts
in Kiel
where he continues to live. Today, he works as an author and journalist
. His essays and critiques of literary have appeared in leading German newspapers like i.e. DIE ZEIT, Die Welt
, SPEX and the Tagesspiegel
. From 1999 to 2000 he was working in Mannheim
at the National theatre. In 2003 he became Island poet on the island of Sylt
, and in 2004 he was a visiting fellow at the Freie Universität Berlin
.
In his first book "Kanak Sprak
" 1995, he attempts to express the authentic, tough and subversive power of slang language spoken by young Turkish male youth in Germany, and calls for a new self-confidence.
The grotesque figure of the maganda - as it can be traced also in popular satirical Turkish magazines - emerges as an "important medium for the formulation of new gender identities, urban subjectivities, and class relations" (Ayse Oncu in References 1, p. 187) His book became inspirational for the group "kanak attak".
In 2005, his installation of flags with the title "KanakAttak - The 3rd Turkish siege of Vienna
" was exhibited at the Kunsthalle Wien
, an art gallery in Vienna
. It refers to the Siege of Vienna
(July 17–September 12, 1683) that was an expedition by the Turks against the Habsburg Holy Roman emperor Leopold I that resulted in their defeat.
In his latest book, Leyla, he describes the life in a small Turkish village. It is a kind of 'reinvention' after years of writing in an explicitly male style, as he takes first time in his writing career the female viewpoint. In an interview he describes that it took him one and a half years to prepare for this fiction novel that he finished in 2004 and which is published in 2006.
from German society". This broad base allows Germans of all colors and ethnicities to join in order to help work toward the cause of breaking "the assignment of ethnic identities and roles; the 'we' and 'them'". Although this destruction of the 'we' and 'them' may seem like the first step toward allowing the Turkish-Germans, in addition to other ethnic groups that have come to Germany
as guest-workers, to assimilate into German society and the German culture, that is hardly the case.
The "anti-assimilationalist stance represented by 'Kanak Attak'" shows up throughout their writings, such as when they reject people and groups who tell them " who does not want to 'adapt' (read assimilate) into the open society has no business in enlightened Germany". Instead, Kanak Attak believes that there can be an enlightened Germany without erasing the cultures and backgrounds of the foreigners. The group believes that "the idea that the 'mixture of people' must somehow be regulated and controlled" is wrong as well, and instead feels that there should be no distinctions made on race at all.
Another contradiction that the anti-racist group faces is the fact that, despite their ties to the hip-hop generation and its struggles and beliefs, Kanak Attak takes special measures to distance itself from hip-hop. Feridun Zaimoğlu, the "spiritual leader" of the group uses the same language in his writing that is "spoken by the disenfranchised youth of the hip-hop generation". However, the group seems intent on destroying any preconceptions that the group is linked to hip-hop when they write that Kanak Attak "should not be seen as the 'cool voice' of the ghetto
". Once again, Kanak Attak takes offense at this generalization that is offered up by the "commercial vultures of the cultural industries", just as it takes offense at any attempt to push cultural assimilation
or mixing on the group and its members. Although there are a few contradictions in its doctrine, Kanak Attak represents the growing anti-racist movement in Germany among immigrants who want to be German but also wish to retain their own cultural heritage.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and visual artist
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
of Turkish origin.
Zaimoğlu has developed since 1995 to have become one of the important poets of contemporary German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. His central theme are the problems of the second and third generation of Turkish immigrants to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Life
Feridun Zaimoğlu, born in Bolu/TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, came in 1965 with his parents to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He lived until 1985 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and then began studying Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and Arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
where he continues to live. Today, he works as an author and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. His essays and critiques of literary have appeared in leading German newspapers like i.e. DIE ZEIT, Die Welt
Die Welt
Die Welt is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company.It was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by the British occupying forces, aiming to provide a "quality newspaper" modelled on The Times...
, SPEX and the Tagesspiegel
Der Tagesspiegel
Der Tagesspiegel is a classical liberal German daily newspaper...
. From 1999 to 2000 he was working in Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
at the National theatre. In 2003 he became Island poet on the island of Sylt
Sylt
Sylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Frisia...
, and in 2004 he was a visiting fellow at the Freie Universität Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
.
In his first book "Kanak Sprak
Kanak Sprak
Kanak Sprak is a German sociolect created by Turkish male youth in Germany in late 1980s. The sociolect is named almost uniformally this way after the book Kanak Sprak by German Turkish author Feridun Zaimoğlu. Its name means roughly "Kanake-talk", referring to the word Kanake, which is used...
" 1995, he attempts to express the authentic, tough and subversive power of slang language spoken by young Turkish male youth in Germany, and calls for a new self-confidence.
The grotesque figure of the maganda - as it can be traced also in popular satirical Turkish magazines - emerges as an "important medium for the formulation of new gender identities, urban subjectivities, and class relations" (Ayse Oncu in References 1, p. 187) His book became inspirational for the group "kanak attak".
In 2005, his installation of flags with the title "KanakAttak - The 3rd Turkish siege of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
" was exhibited at the Kunsthalle Wien
Kunsthalle Wien
The Kunsthalle Wien is an institution in Vienna for temporary exhibitions of contemporary international art. It opened in 1992, and was originally located on Karlsplatz, in a container-shaped building designed as a temporary site by the Austrian architect Adolf Krischanitz...
, an art gallery in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. It refers to the Siege of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(July 17–September 12, 1683) that was an expedition by the Turks against the Habsburg Holy Roman emperor Leopold I that resulted in their defeat.
In his latest book, Leyla, he describes the life in a small Turkish village. It is a kind of 'reinvention' after years of writing in an explicitly male style, as he takes first time in his writing career the female viewpoint. In an interview he describes that it took him one and a half years to prepare for this fiction novel that he finished in 2004 and which is published in 2006.
Kanak Attak
The group that Feridun Zaimoğlu helped to start is a "broad-based anti-racist project" made up of "different people from diverse backgrounds who share a commitment to eradicate racismRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
from German society". This broad base allows Germans of all colors and ethnicities to join in order to help work toward the cause of breaking "the assignment of ethnic identities and roles; the 'we' and 'them'". Although this destruction of the 'we' and 'them' may seem like the first step toward allowing the Turkish-Germans, in addition to other ethnic groups that have come to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as guest-workers, to assimilate into German society and the German culture, that is hardly the case.
The "anti-assimilationalist stance represented by 'Kanak Attak'" shows up throughout their writings, such as when they reject people and groups who tell them " who does not want to 'adapt' (read assimilate) into the open society has no business in enlightened Germany". Instead, Kanak Attak believes that there can be an enlightened Germany without erasing the cultures and backgrounds of the foreigners. The group believes that "the idea that the 'mixture of people' must somehow be regulated and controlled" is wrong as well, and instead feels that there should be no distinctions made on race at all.
Another contradiction that the anti-racist group faces is the fact that, despite their ties to the hip-hop generation and its struggles and beliefs, Kanak Attak takes special measures to distance itself from hip-hop. Feridun Zaimoğlu, the "spiritual leader" of the group uses the same language in his writing that is "spoken by the disenfranchised youth of the hip-hop generation". However, the group seems intent on destroying any preconceptions that the group is linked to hip-hop when they write that Kanak Attak "should not be seen as the 'cool voice' of the ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
". Once again, Kanak Attak takes offense at this generalization that is offered up by the "commercial vultures of the cultural industries", just as it takes offense at any attempt to push cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
or mixing on the group and its members. Although there are a few contradictions in its doctrine, Kanak Attak represents the growing anti-racist movement in Germany among immigrants who want to be German but also wish to retain their own cultural heritage.
Books
- Kanak SprakKanak SprakKanak Sprak is a German sociolect created by Turkish male youth in Germany in late 1980s. The sociolect is named almost uniformally this way after the book Kanak Sprak by German Turkish author Feridun Zaimoğlu. Its name means roughly "Kanake-talk", referring to the word Kanake, which is used...
, 1995, ISBN 3-434-54518-2 - Abschaum. Novel, 1997, ISBN 3-434-54509-3 (2000 as film with the title Kanak Attak)
- Koppstoff, 1999, ISBN 3-88022-674-1
- Liebesmale, scharlachrot. Novel, 2000, ISBN 3-462-03097-3
- Kopf und Kragen. 2001, ISBN 3-596-15290-9
- German Amok. Novel, 2002, ISBN 3-596-15851-6
- Leinwand. Novel, 2003, ISBN 3-434-53080-0
- Twelve Grams of Happiness. Stories, 2004,
- Leyla. Novel, 2006, ISBN 3-462-03696-3
Awards and Prizes
- 1997 Civis-Medienpreis
- 1998 Screen play Prize of Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
/Germany - 2002 Friedrich-Hebbel-Preis
- 2003 Prize of the Jury at the Ingeborg-Bachmann-Competition for his narrative Häute (skins)(Published in his volume Zwölf Gramm Glück)
- 2005 Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Preis
- 2005 Villa MassimoVilla MassimoVilla Massimo, short for Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo , is a German art institute in Rome, established in 1910 and located in the Villa Massimo....
, RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
- Scholarship - 2005 Hugo-Ball-Preis of the City of PirmasensPirmasensPirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
- 2007 Carl-Amery-Literaturpreis
- 2007 Grimmelshausen-Preis
External links
- Commented collection of links
- Two reading samples from Twelve Grams of Happiness (in German, English and Arabic)
- From Turkish boy to German writer Author Feridun Zaimoglu describes how growing up on a German diet eventually bore literary fruit at signandsight.com
- "From "Educated Kanakster" to Literary Star" Eren Güvercin traces his path from the early days of Kanak Sprak to his current high.