Gerhard Oberschlick
Encyclopedia
Gerhard Fritz Oberschlick (born August 30, 1942 in Irschen
) is an Austria
n essayist. From 1985 to 1995 he was the editor
of the political and cultural magazine FORVM
. Today he serves as the literary executor
of Günther Anders
.
, Oberschlick studied German literature
, history of theatre
and philosophy
at the University Vienna. 1966/67 he edited the students paper en face and then served as an accounting clerk of three university institutes, as well as secretary of philosopher Erich Heintel. In 1969 he dissociated from the university because of Heintel's acceptance of the death penalty and the Vietnam war
. He joined the publishing house of NEUES FORVM
and organized a petition for a referendum to abolish the Austrian military, that had been initiated by Wilfried Daim
and Günther Nenning
. The referendum was never carried out, although it was registered in 1970 and Oberschlick had succeeded to procure the obligatory number of 30.000 supporters. The reasons for the withdrawal were that socialist Bruno Kreisky
had caught the momentum and won the 1970 elections with the slogan "Six months of military service is enough!" and that Nenning and other supporters were in fear to lose the vote and embarrass the cause. Nevertheless the failed attempt caused major upheaval and a scandal in the conservative circles of Austria - and it is today recalled as the major achievement of the Movement of 1968 in Austria. At last the Anti-military referendum caused FORVM founder Friedrich Torberg
to distance himself from the magazine with these words: The new FORVM is the magazine against which the old one was founded.
Starting in 1971 Oberschlick organized a music festival with Friedrich Gulda
in Ossiach
and two scientific symposia for the Kreisky government in Vienna
, created a Happening
and worked as a dramaturge
for plays by Ibsen
and Pirandello
.
In 1975 he returned to FORVM as a publishing manager, 1982/83 he served as editor-in-chief und in 1986 he became the owner and editor of the magazine. During his editorship FORVM retained its high profile through intellectual
and social criticism
, avid anti-fascism
and its fight for human rights
. Oberschlick became well known for his judicial controversies with right wing FPÖ
politicians like Jörg Haider
- mainly because of their racism
or their nostalgia
for the NSDAP regime. At the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) Oberschlick achieved several verdicts against the Republic of Austria because of violation of the freedom of speech
, and this caused finally in 1995 a change of Austria's criminal law
. Since then Austria's high courts are bound to all decisions of the ECHR, therefore implementing human rights in the legal system of the country.
Since 1992 he serves as the literary executor
of philosopher and anti-nuclear activist Günther Anders
. In June 1995 Oberschlick chaired the International Human Rights Tribunal
. His co-chair was environmental activist Freda Meissner-Blau
, and human rights activist Christian Michelides
served as the attorney general
. The tribunal was dedicated to the persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons in Austria during the period from 1945 to 1995. As a consequence of this endeavour and other efforts all discriminating laws against LGBT
-persons in Austria have been abolished between 1996 and 2005.
At the end of 1995 Oberschlick had to close down FORVM due to lack of financial means. Since 2000 he is editing a modest internet issue of the former magazine.
Irschen
Irschen is a municipality in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It consists of the Katastralgemeinden Irschen, Ritterdorf and Simmerlach...
) is an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n essayist. From 1985 to 1995 he was the editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
of the political and cultural magazine FORVM
FORVM
FORVM was an Austrian cultural and political magazine, published in Vienna from 1954 till 1995, founded by Friedrich Hansen-Loeve, Felix Hubalek, Alexander Lernet-Holenia und Friedrich Torberg with the financial and logistical support of the Congress for Cultural Freedom...
. Today he serves as the literary executor
Literary executor
A literary executor is a person with decision-making power in respect of a literary estate. According to Wills, Administration and Taxation: a practical guide "A will may appoint different executors to deal with different parts of the estate...
of Günther Anders
Günther Anders
Günther Anders was a Jewish philosopher and journalist who developed a philosophical anthropology for the age of technology, focusing on such themes as the effects of mass media on our emotional and ethical existence, the nuclear threat, the Shoah and the question of being a philosopher.- Biography...
.
Life and career
After high school in KlagenfurtKlagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, Oberschlick studied German literature
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
, history of theatre
History of theatre
The history of theatre charts the development of theatre over the past 2,500 years. While performative elements are present in every society, it is customary to acknowledge a distinction between theatre as an art form and entertainment and theatrical or performative elements in other activities...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University Vienna. 1966/67 he edited the students paper en face and then served as an accounting clerk of three university institutes, as well as secretary of philosopher Erich Heintel. In 1969 he dissociated from the university because of Heintel's acceptance of the death penalty and the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He joined the publishing house of NEUES FORVM
FORVM
FORVM was an Austrian cultural and political magazine, published in Vienna from 1954 till 1995, founded by Friedrich Hansen-Loeve, Felix Hubalek, Alexander Lernet-Holenia und Friedrich Torberg with the financial and logistical support of the Congress for Cultural Freedom...
and organized a petition for a referendum to abolish the Austrian military, that had been initiated by Wilfried Daim
Wilfried Daim
Wilfried Daim is an Austrian psychologist, psychotherapist, writer and art collector.Between 1940 and 1945 Daim was active in the catholic resistance in Austria...
and Günther Nenning
Günther Nenning
DDr. Günther Nenning was a famous Austrian journalist, author and political activist.Günther Nenning was born in Vienna, Austria. After an excellent performance in high school, Nenning served from 1940 to 1945 in the German Wehrmacht...
. The referendum was never carried out, although it was registered in 1970 and Oberschlick had succeeded to procure the obligatory number of 30.000 supporters. The reasons for the withdrawal were that socialist Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky was an Austrian politician who served as Foreign Minister from 1959 to 1966 and as Chancellor from 1970 to 1983. Aged 72 at the end of his chancellorship, he was the oldest acting Chancellor after World War II....
had caught the momentum and won the 1970 elections with the slogan "Six months of military service is enough!" and that Nenning and other supporters were in fear to lose the vote and embarrass the cause. Nevertheless the failed attempt caused major upheaval and a scandal in the conservative circles of Austria - and it is today recalled as the major achievement of the Movement of 1968 in Austria. At last the Anti-military referendum caused FORVM founder Friedrich Torberg
Friedrich Torberg
Friedrich Torberg is the pen-name of Friedrich Kantor, an Austrian writer.- Biography :...
to distance himself from the magazine with these words: The new FORVM is the magazine against which the old one was founded.
Starting in 1971 Oberschlick organized a music festival with Friedrich Gulda
Friedrich Gulda
Friedrich Gulda was an Austrian pianist and composer who worked in both the classical and jazz fields.Born in Vienna as the son of a teacher, Gulda began learning to play the piano from Felix Pazofsky at the Wiener Volkskonservatorium, aged 7...
in Ossiach
Ossiach
Ossiach is a municipality in the Feldkirchen district in Carinthia, Austria. It is located at the southern shore of Lake Ossiach, on the slope of the small Ossiacher Tauern range within the Nock Mountains at the road between Villach and Feldkirchen...
and two scientific symposia for the Kreisky government 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...
, created a Happening
Happening
A happening is a performance, event or situation meant to be considered art, usually as performance art. Happenings take place anywhere , are often multi-disciplinary, with a nonlinear narrative and the active participation of the audience...
and worked as a dramaturge
Dramaturge
A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas...
for plays by Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
and Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello was an Italian dramatist, novelist, and short story writer awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934, for his "bold and brilliant renovation of the drama and the stage." Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written...
.
In 1975 he returned to FORVM as a publishing manager, 1982/83 he served as editor-in-chief und in 1986 he became the owner and editor of the magazine. During his editorship FORVM retained its high profile through intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
and social criticism
Social criticism
The term social criticism locates the reasons for malicious conditions of the society in flawed social structures. People adhering to a social critics aim at practical solutions by specific measures, often consensual reform but sometimes also by powerful revolution.- European roots :Religious...
, avid anti-fascism
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
and its fight for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. Oberschlick became well known for his judicial controversies with right wing FPÖ
FPO
FPO may refer to:*Fleet Post Office, a "city" designation in military mail *Field post office, a term for military post offices in military mail systems *For position only, a designation for placeholder graphics...
politicians like Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , a breakaway party from the FPÖ.Haider was controversial within Austria and abroad for comments...
- mainly because of their racism
Racism
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...
or their nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
for the NSDAP regime. At the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
(ECHR) Oberschlick achieved several verdicts against the Republic of Austria because of violation of the freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, and this caused finally in 1995 a change of Austria's criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
. Since then Austria's high courts are bound to all decisions of the ECHR, therefore implementing human rights in the legal system of the country.
Since 1992 he serves as the literary executor
Literary executor
A literary executor is a person with decision-making power in respect of a literary estate. According to Wills, Administration and Taxation: a practical guide "A will may appoint different executors to deal with different parts of the estate...
of philosopher and anti-nuclear activist Günther Anders
Günther Anders
Günther Anders was a Jewish philosopher and journalist who developed a philosophical anthropology for the age of technology, focusing on such themes as the effects of mass media on our emotional and ethical existence, the nuclear threat, the Shoah and the question of being a philosopher.- Biography...
. In June 1995 Oberschlick chaired the International Human Rights Tribunal
International Human Rights Tribunal
The International Human Rights Tribunal took place in Vienna in June of 1995. It was chaired by environmental and human rights activist Freda Meissner-Blau and Gerhard Oberschlick, editor of FORVM, and was dedicated to the persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons in...
. His co-chair was environmental activist Freda Meissner-Blau
Freda Meissner-Blau
Freda Meissner-Blau is an Austrian politician, activist, and prominent figurehead in the Austrian environmental movement. She was a founder and the federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party.-Early life:...
, and human rights activist Christian Michelides
Christian Michelides
Christian Michelides is an Austrian psychotherapist. He is the director of Lighthouse Wien.-Life and Career:In 1973 Michelides started to work as an opera critic of a provincial newspaper called Südost Tagespost. He earned his high school diploma in 1978...
served as the attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
. The tribunal was dedicated to the persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons in Austria during the period from 1945 to 1995. As a consequence of this endeavour and other efforts all discriminating laws against LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
-persons in Austria have been abolished between 1996 and 2005.
At the end of 1995 Oberschlick had to close down FORVM due to lack of financial means. Since 2000 he is editing a modest internet issue of the former magazine.
Publications
- (ed., with Marietta Torberg): Die Zukunft von Wissenschaft und Technik in Österreich [The Future of Science and Engineering in Austria]. Europa Verlag, Vienna 1973.
- (ed.): FORVM, Internationale Zeitschrift für kulturelle Freiheit, politische Gleichheit und solidarische Arbeit [International magazine for cultural freedom, political equality and solidary labour], Issue 387-394 bis 499-504 (September 30, 1986 till December 6, 1995) Vienna .
- (ed.): FORVM 1987-1995. In: Reprint FORVM 1954-1995. Ueberreuter, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-8000-3963-X.
- (ed.): Günther Anders, Obdachlose Skulptur. Über Rodin. Beck, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-406-37450-6.
- (ed.): Günther Anders, Über Heidegger. With a text by Dieter Thomä and two translations by Werner Reimann. Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-48259-7.