Hans Magnus Enzensberger (born
11 November 1929 in
Kaufbeuren), is a German
author, poet, translator, and editor. He has also written under the
pseudonym Andreas Thalmayr. He lives in
Munich. Enzensberger studied
literature and
philosophy at the universities of
Erlangen, Freiburg and
Hamburg, and at the
Sorbonne in
Paris, receiving his doctorate in
1955 for a thesis about
Clemens Brentano's poetry. Until
1957 he worked as a radio editor in
Stuttgart. He participated in several gatherings of
Group 47. Between 1965 and 1975 he edited the magazine "Kursbuch". Since
1985 he has been the editor of the prestigious book series
Die Andere Bibliothek, published in Frankfurt, and now containing almost 250 titles. Enzensberger is the founder of the monthly
TransAtlantik. His own work has been translated into more than 40 languages.
Enzensberger is the older brother of the author
Christian Enzensberger.Enzensberger has a sarcastic, ironic tone in many of his poems. For example, the poem "Middle Class Blues" consists of various typicalities of middle class life, with the phrase "we can't complain" repeated several times, and concludes with "what are we waiting for?". Many of his poems also feature themes of civil unrest over economic and class based issues (it is perhaps appropriate to mention that he lived in
Fidel Castro's Cuba for several years). Though primarily a poet and essayist, he also makes excursions into theater, film, opera, radio drama, reportage, translation, and has written novels and several books for children and is co-author of a book for
German as a Foreign Language (Die Suche).
Australian writer Rhoderick Gates identified Enzensberger as a leading
West German alongside
Rudolf Bahro as "one of the few left-wing dissidents to predict the slow disintegration of the
USSR."(Trials From The Past,
Global Echo, Feb. 9th)
*1963 Georg-Büchner-Preis;
see also Georg Büchner
*1985 Heinrich-Böll-Preis;
see also Heinrich Böll
*1993 Erich-Maria-Remarque-Friedenspreis;
see also Erich Maria Remarque
*1998 Heinrich-Heine-Preis;
see also Heinrich Heine
*2002
Prince of Asturias Communications and Humanities award
*Verteidigung der Wölfe, Poems, 1957
*Viele schöne Kinderreime, 777 poems for children, 1962
*Einzelheiten, Essays, 1962
*Politik und Verbrechen, Essays, 1964
*Deutschland, Deutschland unter anderm, political commentary, 1967
*Das Verhör von Habana, Prose, 1970
*Constituents of a Theory of the Media, 1970
*Der kurze Sommer der Anarchie. Buenaventura Durrutis Leben und Tod, Prose, 1972
*Gespräche mit Marx und Engels, 1970
*Palaver. Politische Überlegungen, Essays, 1974
*Mausoleum. 37 Balladen aus der Geschichte des Fortschritts, Poems, 1975
*Polit. Brosamen, Essays, 1982
*Ach, Europa! Wahrnehmungen aus sieben Ländern, Prose, 1987
*Mittelmass und Wahn, Essays, 1989
*Zukunftsmusik, Poems, 1991
*Die Tochter der Luft, Drama, 1992
*Die Große Wanderung, Essays, 1992
*Zickzack, Aufsätze, 1997
*Wo warst du, Robert?, Novel, 1998
*Der Zahlenteufel, Novel, 1999
*Leichter als Luft: Moralische Gedichte, Poems, 1999
*Schreckens Maenner: Versuch ueber den radikalen Verlierer (5th ed.), Essay, 2006
*Einzelheiten I & II, Essays, 2006
*Gedichte 1950-2005, Poems, 2006
*
In conversation with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Simic%3C%2Fa%3E" title="Charles%20Simic%3C%2Fa%3E">Charles Simic</a> December 11, 2002
*
The radical loser: English translation of an article originally appearing in
Der Spiegel on November 7, 2005.
*
Enzensberger at PEN American Center Participated in the 2006
PEN World Voices Conference in NYC
*
Poesieautomat (Poetry-Machine) realized by Christian Bauer, 2006
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