Hellmuth Karasek
Encyclopedia
Hellmuth Karasek is a German
journalist, literary critic, novelist and the author of many books on literature and film.
Karasek was born in Brno
. In 1944, when he was ten, his family escaped from Bielsko
(today Poland
) to Bernburg
. After finishing his schooling in the early 1950s he moved from there—then part of East Germany—to West Germany
and became a student at the University of Tübingen.
Karasek is a Polish Slavic name meaning small crucian carp - Karas (Carassius)
After his graduation Karasek started working as a journalist, and in 1968 became the theatre critic of Die Zeit
. From 1974 until 1996 he worked for Der Spiegel
.
In recent years Karasek has frequently appeared on German television
, both in quiz show
s and, together with Marcel Reich-Ranicki
, as one of the permanent members of Das Literarische Quartett.
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...
journalist, literary critic, novelist and the author of many books on literature and film.
Karasek was born in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
. In 1944, when he was ten, his family escaped from Bielsko
Bielsko
Bielsko was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that town....
(today Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) to Bernburg
Bernburg
Bernburg is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the district of Salzlandkreis. It is situated on the river Saale, approx. 30 km downstream from Halle. The town is dominated by its huge Renaissance castle featuring a museum as well as a popular, recently updated bear pit in its...
. After finishing his schooling in the early 1950s he moved from there—then part of East Germany—to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and became a student at the University of Tübingen.
Karasek is a Polish Slavic name meaning small crucian carp - Karas (Carassius)
After his graduation Karasek started working as a journalist, and in 1968 became the theatre critic of Die Zeit
Die Zeit
Die Zeit is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism.With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper...
. From 1974 until 1996 he worked for Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
.
In recent years Karasek has frequently appeared on German television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, both in quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
s and, together with Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Marcel Reich-Ranicki is a Polish-born German literary critic and member of the literary group Gruppe 47. He is regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the field of German literature and therefore was in Germany often called the 'Pope of literature' .-Life:Marcel...
, as one of the permanent members of Das Literarische Quartett.
Select bibliography
- Carl SternheimCarl SternheimCarl Sternheim was a German playwright and short story writer. One of the major exponents of German Expressionism, he especially satirized the moral sensibilities of the emerging German middle class during the Wilhelmine period.-Biography:Born in Leipzig to a Jewish banker and his Protestant wife...
(1965) - Max FrischMax FrischMax Rudolf Frisch was a Swiss playwright and novelist, regarded as highly representative of German-language literature after World War II. In his creative works Frisch paid particular attention to issues relating to problems of human identity, individuality, responsibility, morality and political...
(1966) - Deutschland, deine Dichter (1970)
- BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, der jüngste Fall eines Klassikers (1978) - Billy WilderBilly WilderBilly Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
(1992) - Mein Kino (a personal list of the 100 best movies ever) (1994)
- Go West! (about the 1950s) (1996)
- Hand in Handy (about the mobile phoneMobile phoneA mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
craze) (1997) - Das Magazin (novel, 1998)
- Betrug (novel, 2001)
- Karambolagen. Begegnungen mit Zeitgenossen (2002)
- Auf der Flucht (memoirMemoirA memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
, 2004)