Reinhard Jirgl (born 16 January 1953 in

East-Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as West Berlin. From 13 August 1961 un ...

) is a German writer.

Biography

Jirgl was born in

Berlin-Friedrichshain Friedrichshain () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. From its creation in 1920 until 2001, it was a freestanding city borough. Formerly part of East Berlin, it is adjacent to Mitte, Prenzl ...

. He became a skilled worker for

electromechanics In engineering, electromechanics combines processes and procedures drawn from electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Electromechanics focuses on the interaction of electrical and mechanical systems as a whole and how the two systems ...

. Then he completed a degree in

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

Humboldt University Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of ...

, Berlin. He made first attempts at prose during his studies in the early 1970s. From 1975 he worked as an engineer at the

Academy of Sciences An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unite ...

. He gave up his profession in 1978 to devote more time to writing. He worked as a lighting and service technician at the

Volksbühne The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") is a theater in Berlin. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Square) in what was the GDR's capital. It has been called Berlin's most iconic theatre. About The Vol ...

in Berlin. After submitting his first novel ''Mutter Vater Roman'' to a Berlin publishing house in 1985, he was accused of a "non-Marxist conception of history". The publication of the novel was refused. Until 1989, none of his manuscripts were published. Since 2009 he has been a member of the

German Academy for Language and Literature German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. and he is member of the

PEN Centre Germany PEN Centre Germany is part of the worldwide association of writers founded in London in 1921, now known as PEN International. One of over 140 autonomous PEN centres around the world, PEN Centre Germany is based in Darmstadt, Hesse. Work PEN Ce ...

. In 2010 he was awarded the

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'' ...

by the German Academy for Language and Literature. His 2013 novel '' Nichts von euch auf Erden'' was shortlisted for the

German Book Prize The German Book Prize (''Deutscher Buchpreis'') is awarded annually, in October, by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association (''Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels'') to the best new German language novel of the year. The books, publ ...

. At the beginning of 2017, Jirgl withdrew completely from the public. He lives in Berlin.

Awards

* 1991:

Anna Seghers-Preis Anna Seghers-Preis is a literary prize of Germany. The prize goes back to the German writer Anna Seghers (1900–1983), who stated in her testament that the revenues from her work should be used to encourage promising young writers. The award is ...

* 1993: Alfred-Döblin-Preis * 1994: Marburg Literatur Prize * 1998: * 1999:

Joseph-Breitbach-Preis Joseph-Breitbach-Preis (Joseph Breitbach Prize) is a literary prize awarded by the Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz (Academy of Sciences and Literature of Mainz), in Germany and the Joseph Breitbach Foundation. Established in ...

* 2003:

Kranichsteiner Literaturpreis Kranichsteiner Literaturpreis is a literary prize of Germany. The Deutsche Literaturfonds (German Literature Fund) based in Darmstadt has been awarding the prize since 1983. The prize money was raised in 2019 from €20,000 to €30,000. In addi ...

, * 2003:

Rheingau Literatur Preis Rheingau Literatur Preis is a literary prize of Hesse. It is awarded annually since 1994 by the which follows the Rheingau Musik Festival. An author is awarded whose prose gained the attention of the literary critics ("") The prize of 11,111 Eu ...

* 2004: Eugen Viehof-Ehrengabe der Deutschen Schillerstiftung von 1859, * 2004:

Dedalus-Preis für Neue Literatur ''Dedalus-Preis für Neue Literatur'' is a German literary prize. The award was named after the main character in the novel ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' by James Joyce. It was awarded between 1996 and 2004. Winners * 1996 – Ann ...

* 2006:

Literaturpreis der Stadt Bremen The Bremen Literature Prize (german: link=no, Literaturpreis der Stadt Bremen, literally: Literature Prize of the city of Bremen) is a German literary award. The prize money is €25,000 (Förderpreis: €6,000). Recipients *1954 Heinrich Schmi ...

* 2007/08: Stadtschreiber von Bergen * 2009:

Lion-Feuchtwanger-Preis The Lion Feuchtwanger Prize is a German literary prize for historical prose. It is awarded by the Academy of Arts, Berlin on 7 July, the anniversary of his birthday. It was endowed by Marta Feuchtwanger, the widow of Lion Feuchtwanger. It was aw ...

* 2009:

Grimmelshausen-Preis Grimmelshausen-Preis is a literary prize in Germany, which is awarded since 1993 on every two years. The prize is named after Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, author of Simplicius Simplicissimus, a famous German book. The prize money is ...

for ''Die Stille'' * 2010: Georg-Büchner-Preis * 2011: Sudetendeutscher Kulturpreis

Scholarships

* 1994: Scholarship in Künstlerdorf Schöppingen * 1995: Scholarship of the Berliner Kultursenat * 1996:

Alfred-Döblin-Stipendium Alfred-Döblin-Stipendium (or the Alfred Döblin Scholarship, in English) is a literary prize of Germany that has been awarded to Berlin writers since 1985. It was named after the writer Alfred Döblin. The recipient of the scholarship is select ...

* 1997: Scholarship in Künstlerhof Schreyahn * 1998: Scholarship of the Heinrich-Heine-Haus Lüneburg * 2002: Scholarship of the

Deutscher Literaturfond Deutscher is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alma Deutscher, British musician and composer *Drafi Deutscher, German singer and composer *Guy Deutscher (linguist) *Guy Deutscher (physicist) *Isaac Deutscher, British jou ...

* 2007: Scholarship in Künstlerhaus Edenkoben

Works

* ''Mutter Vater Roman''. Aufbau, Berlin/Weimar 1990. . * ''Uberich''. Protokollkomödie in den Tod. Jassmann, Frankfurt am Main 1990, . * ''Im offenen Meer.'' chichtungsroman Luchterhand, Hamburg/Zürich 1991, . * together with

Andrzej Madela Andrzej is the Polish form of the given name Andrew. Notable individuals with the given name Andrzej * Andrzej Bartkowiak (born 1950), Polish film director and cinematographer * Andrzej Bobola, S.J. (1591–1657), Polish saint, missionary and ...

: ''Zeichenwende''. Kultur im Schatten posttotalitärer Mentalität. Bublies, Koblenz 1993, . * ''Das obszöne Gebet.'' Totenbuch. Jassmann, Frankfurt am Main 1993, . * ''

Abschied von den Feinden ''Farewell'' (German: ''Abschied'') is a 1930 German comedy drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Brigitte Horney, Aribert Mog and Emilia Unda. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by ...

''. novel. Hanser, Munich/Vienna 1995, . * ''Hundsnächte''. novel. Hanser, Munich/Vienna 1997, . * ''Die atlantische Mauer.'' novel. Hanser, Munich/Vienna 2000, . * ''Genealogie des Tötens''. Trilogie. Hanser, Munich 2002, . * ''Gewitterlicht''. stories, with the

Essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

''Das poetische Vermögen des alphanumerischen Codes in der Prosa''. In: ''Edition Einst und Jetzt'' Band 3. revonnah, Hannover 2002, . * '' Die Unvollendeten''. novel. Hanser, Munich/Vienna 2003, . * '' Abtrünnig. Roman aus der nervösen Zeit.'' Hanser, Munich 2005, . (Paperback: dtv 13639, Munich/Vienna 2008 .) * ''Land und Beute''. Aufsätze aus den Jahren 1996 bis 2006. ''Edition Akzente'', Hanser, Munich 2008, . * ''Die Stille''. Roman. Hanser, Munich 2009, .Gunther Nickel
''Deutsche Lebensläufe, polyphon erzählt''
In: ''Die Welt'', 28 February 2009. * ''Nichts von euch auf Erden''. Hanser, Munich 2013, . * ''Oben das Feuer, unten der Berg''. Hanser, Munich 2016, .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jirgl, Reinhard 1953 births Living people Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 20th-century German novelists 21st-century German novelists 21st-century German male writers German essayists Georg Büchner Prize winners Writers from Berlin German male essayists German male novelists 20th-century essayists 21st-century essayists 20th-century German male writers