Ernst Jandl (; 1 August 1925 – 9 June 2000) was an Austrian writer, poet, and translator. He became known for his
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...
lyric, mainly
sound poems (''Sprechgedichte'') in the tradition of
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
and
visual
The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight ...
poetic forms.
Poetry
Influenced by
Dada
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...
he started to write experimental poetry, first published in the journal ''Neue Wege'' ("New Ways") in 1952.
He was the life partner of
Friederike Mayröcker. In 1973 he co-founded the
Grazer Autorenversammlung in
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popula ...
, became its vice president in 1975 and was its president from 1983 to 1987.
His poems are characterized by German language
word play
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, pho ...
, often at the level of single characters or phonemes. For example, his famous
univocalic
A univocalic is a type of antilipogrammatic constrained writing that uses only a single vowel, in English "A", "E", "I", "O", or "U", and no others.
Examples
*One of the best-known univocalic poems was written by C.C. Bombaugh in 1890 using "O". ...
poem "
ottos mops
''ottos mops'' ng: Otto's pugis a poem by, Austrian poet Ernst Jandl. It is thought to have been written on the 20th of November, 1963, and was first published in 1970 in Jandl's volume ''Der künstliche Baum '' ng: the artificial tree The poem ...
" (in English, "otto's
pug") uses only the vowel "o". Of course, poems like this cannot easily be translated into other languages.
Most of his poems are better heard than read. His lectures were always known as very impressive events, because of the particular way he pronounced his poems. Poems like "schtzngrmm" ''(his version of the word "
Schützengraben" which describes the trenches of the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
)'' can be understood only if read correctly. It is an experimental poem in which he tells the sounds of war only with combinations of letters, which sound like gunfires or detonating missiles.
He translated
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...
,
Robert Creeley
Robert White Creeley (May 21, 1926 – March 30, 2005) was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school. He was close with Char ...
's ''The Island'', and
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading f ...
's ''Silence''.
Some other of his best-known poems are "
lichtung" (also known as "lechts & rinks", in English "light & reft") and "kneiernzuck".
An example of a short poem, written in English:
["three wives", from Ernst Jandl, ''Stanzen'', 1992. ]
three wives
i never remember my second wife
i never remember my third wife
i always remember what i always remember
ain't ever even had a first wife
Awards
* 1969:
Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden with
Friederike Mayröcker for "Five Men"
* 1974:
Georg-Trakl-Preis (''see''
Georg Trakl)
* 1976: Literature Prize of the City of Vienna
* 1978: Austrian Prize for Literature
* 1980:
Mülheim Dramatists Prize
* 1982:
Anton Wildgans Prize
The Anton Wildgans Prize of Austrian Industry is a literary award that was endowed in 1962 by the Federation of Austrian Industry. The prize is worth 15,000 Euro and is granted by an independent jury to a young or middle-aged writer of Austrian c ...
* 1982: Manuscripts Prize of
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...
* 1984:
Georg Büchner Prize
The Georg Büchner Prize (german: link=no, Georg-Büchner-Preis) is the most important literary prize for German language literature, along with the Goethe Prize. The award is named after dramatist and writer Georg Büchner, author of '' Woyzeck ...
(''see''
Georg Büchner
Karl Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 – 19 February 1837) was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büc ...
)
* 1984:
Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature
* 1985:
Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik
* 1986: Gold Medal of Vienna
* 1987:
Kassel Literary Prize
The Kassel Literary Prize for Grotesque Humor (''Kasseler Literaturpreis für grotesken Humor''), established 1985, is an annual prize awarded by the city of Kassel and the Brückner-Kühner foundation in recognition of "grotesque and comic work" ...
for Grotesque Humour
* 1988: German Cabaret Award
* 1989: Frankfurt Hörspielpreis
* 1990:
Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system.
History
The "Austrian ...
* 1990:
Peter-Huchel-Preis
Peter-Huchel-Preis is a literature prize awarded in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Peter Huchel Prize for German-language poetry, donated by the state of Baden-Württemberg and Südwestrundfunk, has been awarded since 1983 for an outstanding lyri ...
* 1993:
Kleist Prize
* 1995:
Friedrich-Hölderlin-Preis
Friedrich-Hölderlin-Preis is a German literary prize. It was established in 1983. In June, the City of Bad Homburg vor der Höhe annually awards the prize. It is endowed with 20,000 euros and is awarded as a general literary award for outstanding ...
(''see''
Friedrich Hölderlin
Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticism. Part ...
)
* 1995: Medal of the Province of Styria
* 1996:
Poems
*"
Ottos Mops
''ottos mops'' ng: Otto's pugis a poem by, Austrian poet Ernst Jandl. It is thought to have been written on the 20th of November, 1963, and was first published in 1970 in Jandl's volume ''Der künstliche Baum '' ng: the artificial tree The poem ...
" 20 November 1963
*"Laut und Luise" 1966
*"sprechblasen" 1968
*"der künstliche baum" 1970
*"idyllen" 1989
*"Aus dem wirklichen Leben" 1999
*''Reft and Light'' (Providence, RI:
Burning Deck, 2000); translated from the German by various American poets,
Books
* lechts und rinks. gedichte, statements, peppermints;
Luchterhand, , in a poor translation: "light and reft. poems, statements, peppermints"
* laut und luise; Luchterhand,
* Interpretationen, Gedichte von Ernst Jandl; Reclam,
* ernst jandl, ''aus dem wirklichen Leben: gedichte und prosa'', with 66 drawings by Hans Ticha, Büchergilde Gutenberg 2000,
Notes
References
*
External links
*
''Writing is the food of the gods'' Friederike Mayröcker's poem about her companion at signandsight.com
sound files to download and discussion of his
concrete poetry
Concrete poetry is an arrangement of linguistic elements in which the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning than verbal significance. It is sometimes referred to as visual poetry, a term that has now developed a distinct me ...
at
UbuWeb
UbuWeb is a web-based educational resource for avant-garde material available on the internet, founded in 1996 by poet Kenneth Goldsmith. It offers visual, concrete and sound poetry, expanding to include film and sound art mp3 archives.
Phi ...
author pageat
Lyrikline.org, with audio, text (German, one translation into English).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jandl, Ernst
1925 births
2000 deaths
Anton Wildgans Prize winners
Writers from Vienna
Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery
Kleist Prize winners
Georg Büchner Prize winners
Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
Recipients of the Grand Austrian State Prize
Recipients of the Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
20th-century Austrian poets
Austrian male poets
Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
German-language poets
20th-century Austrian male writers