Gert Jonke facts for kids
Gert Friedrich Jonke (born February 8, 1946 – died January 4, 2009) was an amazing writer from Austria. He wrote many different things, like poems, plays for the theater, and novels (long stories).
Life Story
Gert Jonke was born and grew up in Klagenfurt, a city in Austria. He went to a special school called a Gymnasium, which helps students get ready for university. He also studied at a music school called a Conservatory.
After serving in the military, he went to a college in Vienna to study film and television. However, he didn't finish those studies. He also started studying other subjects like History, Philosophy, and Music Theory at the University of Vienna, but he didn't complete those either.
Later, Gert Jonke became friends with a group of writers in Graz. This group was known for new and exciting types of writing in Austria. In 1969, he published his first novel, Geometrischer Heimatroman, which means Geometric Regional Novel. It was quite successful, and a famous writer named Peter Handke even gave it a good review.
In 1971, Gert Jonke received a special scholarship to live and study in West Berlin, where he stayed for five years. After that, he lived in London for a year. He also traveled a lot, visiting places in the Middle East and South America. In 1977, he moved to Argentina with his partner, where he even met the famous writer Borges. He returned to Austria in the 1980s.
Sadly, Gert Jonke passed away from cancer on January 4, 2009, in Vienna. He was 62 years old. He was honored with a special burial spot called a grave of honor (German: Ehrengrab) in Vienna's main cemetery, the Zentralfriedhof.
His Works
Gert Jonke wrote many different kinds of books and plays. His writing often explored interesting ideas about music, history, and how we see the world.
Novels and Stories
He wrote several novels and collections of short stories. Some of his well-known prose works include:
- Geometrischer Heimatroman (1969) – his first novel.
- Schule der Geläufigkeit (1977), which was translated as Homage to Czerny: Studies in Virtuoso Technique.
- Der ferne Klang (1979), translated as The Distant Sound.
- Erwachen zum großen Schlafkrieg (1982), translated as Awakening to the Great Sleep War.
- Der Kopf des Georg Friedrich Händel (1988), which is about the composer George Frideric Handel.
- Stoffgewitter (1996), which included a novella about the composer Anton Webern called Geblendeter Augenblick (Blinding Moment).
- Himmelstraße – Erdbrustplatz oder Das System von Wien (1999), translated as The System of Vienna: From Heaven Street to Earth Mound Square.
Plays and Poems
Gert Jonke also wrote many plays for the theater and radio, as well as poems. Some of his plays were performed in famous theaters.
- Die Hinterhältigkeit der Windmaschinen (1971) – a play.
- Im Inland und im Ausland auch (1974) – a collection of poems and plays.
- Sanftwut oder Der Ohrenmaschinist (1990) – a play that was even performed in Sign Language.
- Opus 111: Ein Klavierstuck (1993) – a play performed at the Volkstheater in Vienna.
- Es singen die Steine (1998) – a play about nature.
- Die versunkene Kathedrale (2005) – a play performed at the famous Burgtheater in Vienna.
- Freier Fall (2008) – one of his last plays.
Other Writings
He also contributed text to books with photographs and wrote speeches.
- Schwarzbuch (1984) – a book with photos by Sepp Schmölzer.
- Klagenfurt: Ansichten in klassischen Schwarzweiß-Fotografien (2004) – a book with photos of his hometown.
Awards and Honors
Gert Jonke received many important awards for his writing throughout his life:
- 1977 Ingeborg Bachmann Prize
- 1987 Austrian Prize for Literature
- 1994 Anton Wildgans Prize
- 1997 Erich Fried Prize
- 1997 Franz Kafka Literature Prize
- 1998 Berlin Literature Prize
- 2001 Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature
- 2003 Nestroy Theatre Prize for Best Author (for Chorphantasie)
- 2005 Kleist Prize
- 2006 Arthur Schnitzler Prize
- 2006 Nestroy Theatre Prize for Best Author (for Die versunkene Kathedrale)
- 2008 Nestroy Theatre Prize for Best Author (for Free Fall)
