Wolfgang Hildesheimer
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang Hildesheimer was a German
author
who incorporated the Theatre of the Absurd
. He originally trained as an artist, before turning to writing.
. He was educated at Humanistische Gymnasium in Mannheim
from 1926 to 1930. He then attended Odenwaldschule
until 1933, when he left Germany. He was then educated at Frensham Heights School
in Surrey, England. After studying carpentry in Israel, where his parents had emigrated, he studied painting and stage building in London. In 1946 he worked as a translator and clerk at the Nuremberg Trials
. Afterward, he worked as a writer and was a member of Group 47
. In 1980, he gave the inaugural address at the Salzburg Festival
(Was sagt Musik aus? — What does music say?). In addition to writing, Hildesheimer created collages, which he collected in several volumes (the first Endlich allein, 1984), an activity he shared with other late 20th century writers Peter Weiss
and Ror Wolf.
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...
author
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:...
who incorporated the Theatre of the Absurd
Theatre of the Absurd
The Theatre of the Absurd is a designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction, written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work...
. He originally trained as an artist, before turning to writing.
Biography
Hildesheimer was born of Jewish parents in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. He was educated at Humanistische Gymnasium 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....
from 1926 to 1930. He then attended Odenwaldschule
Odenwaldschule
Odenwaldschule, is a German school located in Heppenheim in the Odenwald. Founded in 1910, it is Germany's oldest landschulheim, a private boarding school located in a rural setting. Edith and Paul Geheeb established it using their concept of progressive education, which integrated the work of the...
until 1933, when he left Germany. He was then educated at Frensham Heights School
Frensham Heights School
Frensham Heights School is an independent school located in Surrey, United Kingdom, run by the registered charity, Frensham Heights Educational Trust Ltd. It was founded in 1925 and formed as part of the movement for progressive education...
in Surrey, England. After studying carpentry in Israel, where his parents had emigrated, he studied painting and stage building in London. In 1946 he worked as a translator and clerk at the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
. Afterward, he worked as a writer and was a member of Group 47
Group 47
Gruppe 47 was an influential literary association in Germany after World War II. '47' Stands for the year of their creation, 1947.-Early history:The beginnings reach back to1946 when Alfred Andersch and Walter Kolbenhoff founded the literary...
. In 1980, he gave the inaugural address at the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
(Was sagt Musik aus? — What does music say?). In addition to writing, Hildesheimer created collages, which he collected in several volumes (the first Endlich allein, 1984), an activity he shared with other late 20th century writers Peter Weiss
Peter Weiss
Peter Ulrich Weiss was a German writer, painter, and artist of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays Marat/Sade and The Investigation and his novel The Aesthetics of Resistance....
and Ror Wolf.
Published work
- 1952 Lieblose Legenden, Erzählungen
- 1953 Das Paradies der falschen Vögel
- 1954 An den Ufern der Plotinitza, a radio play
- 1954 Das Märchen von Prinzessin TurandotTurandotTurandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...
(The Fairy Tale of Princess Turandot), a radio play - 1960 Herrn Walsers Raben (Mr. Walser's), a radio play
- 1962 Vergebliche Aufzeichnungen
- 1965 Tynset, a novel
- 1973 Masante, a novel
- 1977 MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, a biography - 1981 Marbot, a fictional biography
- 1983 Mitteilungen an Max (Über den Stand der Dinge und anderes)
- Pastorale oder Die Zeit für Kakao, a theatre piece.
- Der Drachenthron, a comedy in three acts
- Das Opfer Helena, a comedy in two parts
- Die Verspätung, a work in two parts
Awards
- Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden (a radio play prize for Princess Turnandot) 1955
- Georg Büchner PrizeGeorg Büchner PrizeThe Georg Büchner Prize is the most important literary prize of Germany. It was created in 1923 in memory of Georg Büchner and was only given to artists who came from or were closely tied to Büchner's home of Hesse...
1966