Peter Handke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Handke
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Handke in 2006
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| Born | 6 December 1942 Griffen, Gau Carinthia, German Reich (now Austria) |
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| Education | University of Graz |
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| Spouse | Sophie Semin (since 1995) |
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Peter Handke (born 6 December 1942) is an Austrian writer. He writes novels, plays, poems, and screenplays. He also works as a translator and film director.
In 2019, Peter Handke won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature. He received it for his "influential work" that explores human experiences in new ways. Many people see him as one of the most important German-language writers of the late 1900s.
He became well-known in the 1960s for his unique plays. One famous play is Offending the Audience (1966). In this play, actors talk about theater and even joke with the audience. Another play, Kaspar (1967), was also very popular. His novels often show characters in unusual states of mind. These include The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1970) and The Left-Handed Woman (1976).
A main idea in his writing is how everyday language and rules can sometimes feel dull or confusing. Handke was part of a group of writers called the Grazer Gruppe. He also helped start a publishing company. He worked with film director Wim Wenders on movies like The Wrong Move and Wings of Desire.
In 1973, he won the Georg Büchner Prize. This is a very important award for German literature. Later, in 1999, he returned the prize money. This was a way to protest against the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Some of Handke's public views on the Yugoslav Wars have caused debate and discussion.
Contents
About Peter Handke's Life
His Early Life and Family
Peter Handke was born in Griffen, which was part of Germany at the time. His father was a German soldier whom Peter met later in life. His mother, Maria, was from a group of people called Carinthian Slovenes. She married Bruno Handke, who was a tram conductor and soldier.
From 1944 to 1948, Peter's family lived in Berlin, Germany. After that, they moved back to his mother's hometown of Griffen.
In 1954, Peter went to a Catholic boys' boarding school. He started writing there and published his first works in the school newspaper. In 1959, he moved to Klagenfurt for high school. Then, in 1961, he began studying law at the University of Graz.
In 1971, Handke's mother took her own life. This sad event is reflected in his novel Wunschloses Unglück.
After leaving Graz, Handke lived in different cities around the world. These included Düsseldorf, Berlin, Paris, and Salzburg. Since 1990, he has lived in Chaville, near Paris. A documentary film about him, Peter Handke: In the Woods, Might Be Late, was made in 2016. Since 2012, Handke has been a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He is also a member of the Serbian Orthodox church.
His Writing Career
While still studying, Handke began his career as a writer. He joined the Grazer Gruppe, a group of young writers in Graz. This group published a literature magazine that featured Handke's early works.
Handke stopped his studies in 1965 when a German publisher accepted his novel Die Hornissen (The Hornets). He became known internationally after attending a meeting of artists in Princeton, in 1966. In the same year, his play Publikumsbeschimpfung (Offending the Audience) was first performed in Frankfurt. This play made him very famous.
In 1969, Handke helped start a new publishing house. He also helped create the Grazer Autorenversammlung in 1973.
His first play, Publikumsbeschimpfung, was experimental. It did not have a normal story. His second play, Kaspar, used the story of Kaspar Hauser to talk about how society pressures people to fit in.
Handke worked with director Wim Wenders on several films. He wrote the script for Falsche Bewegung (The Wrong Move). He also helped write the screenplay for Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire). Handke also directed his own films. These include The Left-Handed Woman (1978) and The Absence (1992). The Left-Handed Woman was nominated for an award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1975, Handke won a German Film Award for his screenplay for Falsche Bewegung.
In 2019, Peter Handke received the Nobel Prize in Literature. This award recognized his important work that explores human experiences in a very creative way.
Awards and Honors
Peter Handke has received many important awards for his writing:
- 1973: Georg Büchner Prize
- 1987: Vilenica International Literary Prize
- 2000: Brothers Karić Award
- 2002: America Award
- 2002: Honorary Doctor, University of Klagenfurt
- 2003: Honorary Doctor, University of Salzburg
- 2008: Thomas-Mann-Preis
- 2009: Franz Kafka Prize
- 2012: Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis
- 2014: International Ibsen Award
- 2018: Nestroy Theatre Prize for Lifetime Achievement
- 2019: Nobel Prize in Literature
- 2020: Order of Karađorđe's Star
- 2021: Order of the Republika Srpska
- 2024: Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria
Peter Handke's Works
Handke has written many types of works. These include novels, plays, screenplays, essays, and poems. Many of his books have been translated into English.
Novels and Stories
- 1966 Die Hornissen (The Hornets), a novel
- 1970 Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter (The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick), a novel and film script
- 1972 Der kurze Brief zum langen Abschied (Short Letter, Long Farewell), a novel
- 1972 Wunschloses Unglück (A Sorrow Beyond Dreams: A Life Story), a memoir
- 1975 Die Stunde der wahren Empfindung (A Moment of True Feeling), a novel
- 1976 Die linkshändige Frau (The Left-Handed Woman)
- 1979 Langsame Heimkehr (Slow Homecoming), the first of a series of stories
- 1983 Der Chinese des Schmerzes (Across), a story
- 1986 Die Wiederholung (Repetition), a novel
- 1994 Mein Jahr in der Niemandsbucht. Ein Märchen aus den neuen Zeiten (My Year in the No-Man's-Bay), a novel
- 1997 In einer dunklen Nacht ging ich aus meinem stillen Haus (On a Dark Night I Left My Silent House)
- 2002 Der Bildverlust oder Durch die Sierra de Gredos (Crossing the Sierra de Gredos), a novel
- 2004 Don Juan (erzählt von ihm selbst) (Don Juan: His Own Version)
- 2008 Die morawische Nacht (The Moravian Night), a novel
- 2009 Bis dass der Tag euch scheidet oder Eine Frage des Lichts: ein Monolog (Till Day You Do Part or A Question of Light)
- 2011 Der Große Fall (The Great Fall)
- 2017 Die Obstdiebin oder Einfache Fahrt ins Landesinnere (The Fruit Thief or One-Way Journey into the Interior)
- 2020 Das zweite Schwert (The Second Sword)
- 2021 Mein Tag im anderen Land (My Day in the Other Land)
- 2023 Die Ballade des letzten Gastes
Plays for the Stage
- 1966 Publikumsbeschimpfung und andere Sprechstücke (Offending the Audience and Other Spoken Plays)
- 1967 Kaspar
- 1973 Die Unvernünftigen sterben aus
- 1990 Das Wintermärchen, a German translation of William Shakespeare's play
- 1992 Die Stunde, da wir nichts voneinander wußten (The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other)
- 2010 Immer noch Sturm (Storm Still), a play about a historical event in 1945
Films Directed by Handke
- 1971 Chronik der laufenden Ereignisse (Chronicle of Current Events)
- 1977 Die linkshändige Frau (The Left-Handed Woman), based on his novel
- 1985 Das Mal des Todes (The Malady of Death), based on a novella by Marguerite Duras
- 1992 L'Absence (The Absence)
Film Screenplays Written by Handke
- 1969 3 amerikanische LP's (3 American LPs), a film by Wim Wenders
- 1972 Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter (The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick), a film by Wim Wenders
- 1975 Falsche Bewegung (Wrong Move), a film by Wim Wenders
- 1987 Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire), a film by Wim Wenders
Images for kids
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Peter Handke's signature
See also
In Spanish: Peter Handke para niños
