Robert Schneider (16 June 1961) is an Austrian writer, who published novels including ''

Schlafes Bruder ''Schlafes Bruder'' is a novel by Austrian writer Robert Schneider (writer), Robert Schneider, first published in German in 1992. It was an international success and was adapted into Brother of Sleep, a feature film and an opera, among others. H ...

'', texts for the theatre, and poetry. His works have been translated into many languages. ''Schlafes Bruder'' became the basis of a film, a ballet, an opera and several plays, and received international awards. Schneider withdrew from writing in 2007.

Career

Born in

Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...

, Austria, Schneider was adopted at age two by a couple of peasants and grew up in the village of Meschach near

Götzis Götzis is a town in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg. The Alpine Rhine valley municipality belongs to the district of Feldkirch. Population Events The town is well known for its annual hypo-combined events meeting, the so-called ...

, where he still lives as a freelance writer. He studied composition, theatre sciences and art history in Vienna from 1981 to 1986. He discontinued his studies to become a writer, making a living by working as a tourist guide and organist. He received several scholarships for literature. His first novel, ''

'' (''Brother of Sleep''), was rejected by 24 publishers, and finally appeared in 1992 by

Reclam Reclam Verlag is a German publishing house, established in Leipzig in 1828 by Anton Philipp Reclam (1807–1896).Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. The book, telling the fictional story of the musician Johannes Elias Alder, became an international success, was translated into many languages, and was made part of school canons. A film version was made in 1995, directed by

Joseph Vilsmaier Joseph Vilsmaier (, 24 January 1939 – 11 February 2020) was a German film director who began his career as a technician and cameraman. He is internationally known for films such as ''Comedian Harmonists (film), Comedian Harmonists''. Life Bo ...

, which became the basis for a ballet at the

Pfalztheater The Pfalztheater is a theatre building and company in the German city of Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatine. It is the only three-genre venue in the state, putting on music, drama and dance. The town's first theatre was built in 1862, financed by ...

Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...

, an opera by

Herbert Willi Herbert Willi (born 7 January 1956) is an Austrian composer of classical music, whose orchestral works, concertos and chamber music have been performed internationally and also recorded. Willi composed an opera, ''Schlafes Bruder'', for the Oper ...

, and several plays. Schneider's second novel, ', appeared in 1998, dealing with the rise and fall of the fictional town of Jakobsroth in the Rhine valley. The work received scathing reviews. Schneider conceived the novels as part of a trilogy, ''Rheintalische Trilogie'' (Trilogy of the Rhine Valley). He completed the trilogy with '' Die Unberührten'', published in 2000. Based on historical events, it tells the story of two peasant children who are sent to the United States during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Schneider lived in the US for a while to research there. His novel ' tells the story of Jan Beukels (

John of Leiden John of Leiden (born Johan Beukelszoon; 2 February 1509 – 22 January 1536) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader. In 1533 he moved to Münster, capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, where he became an influential prophet, turned the city into ...

), an

anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

who led the

Münster rebellion The Münster rebellion (, "Anabaptist dominion of Münster") was an attempt by radical Anabaptists to establish a communal sectarian government in the German city of Münster then under the large Prince-Bishopric of Münster in the Holy Rom ...

. Schneider's 2007 novel ' (''The Revelation'') deals with the finding of a score by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

, which ruins the life of the lucky musicologist from

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNES ...

. Schneider named traditional Austrian storytelling until 1945 as the basis for his work. He refuses to comment on his books, saying: "''Alles, was ein Schriftsteller über seine Bücher sagt, kann nur verstören. Sie müssen ihren Weg ohne ihn gehen''" (Everything an author can say about his books can only unsettle. They have to go their way without him). In an interview in 2014, he said that books are media of the 19th century which do not function anymore.

Awards

Schneider has received several scholarships and awards, including: * 1990: , for ''Traum und Trauer des jungen H.'' * 1993: Prize of the Potsdamer Theatertage, for ''Dreck – Über die Angst vor dem Fremden'' * 1993:

Alemannischer Literaturpreis Alemannischer Literaturpreis is a German literary prize. It was established in 1981 and is awarded to authors in the Alemannic regions of Germany. The prize was originally awarded every two years but changed to every three years in 1987. The winne ...

* 1993: Robert Musil scholarship of Vienna * 1994: Literature prize of the

Salzburg Easter Festival The Salzburg Easter Festival (, sometimes OFS) is a classical music and opera festival held every year over the extended week before Easter (Holy Week) in Salzburg, Austria since 1967. It was created by the conductor Herbert von Karajan, and for ...

* 1994:

Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis () is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and .

Étranger * 1994:

Premio Grinzane Cavour The Grinzane Cavour Prize (1982–2009) was an Italian literary award established in 1982 by Francesco Meotto. The annual award ceremony took place in the medieval castle of Grinzane Cavour. The goal of the prize was to attract young people to re ...

* 1994:

Civis Media Prize The CIVIS Media Prize for Integration and Cultural Diversity in Europe, or CIVIS Media Prize for short, was founded in 1987 by the Federal Government Commissioner for Foreigners' Issues together with ARD (broadcaster), ARD, under the responsibilit ...

, audio play prize of the

WDR WDR may refer to: * Waddell & Reed (stock ticker: WDR), an American asset management and financial planning company * Walt Disney Records, an American record label of the Disney Music Group * WDR neuron, a type of neuron involved in pain signalli ...

* 1995:

Marieluise-Fleißer-Preis Marieluise-Fleißer-Preis is a German biennial literary prize, given by the town of Ingolstadt, Bavaria, on behalf of the Marieluise-Fleißer-Gesellschaft, in memory of the writer Marieluise Fleißer who was born in Ingolstadt. It is awarded to a G ...

* 1995: Premio Itas del Libro di Montagna (Trento) * 2008:

Phantastik-Preis der Stadt Wetzlar Phantastik-Preis der Stadt Wetzlar is a literary prize of Hesse. Winners * 1983 Wolfgang Hohlbein, Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein for ''Märchenmond'' * 1984 Frederik Hetmann for ''Wagadu'' * 1985 Johanna Braun, Johanna and Günter Braun for ''De ...

, for ''Die Offenbarung''

Works

Novels

* ''

''.

Reclam Reclam Verlag is a German publishing house, established in Leipzig in 1828 by Anton Philipp Reclam (1807–1896).Albrecht Knaus Verlag The Albrecht Knaus Verlag (also Knaus Verlag, the company's preferred spelling is KNAUS) is a German publisher of fiction and nonfiction based in Munich. It was founded in 1978 and is now part of the Random House publishing group. The publisher be ...

, München 2000, . * '. Novella. Reclam, Leipzig 2001, . * ''Schatten''. Reclam, Leipzig 2002, . * '.

Aufbau-Verlag Aufbau Verlag is a German publisher. It was founded in Berlin in 1945 and became the biggest publisher in East Germany (GDR). During that time it specialised in Socialist literature, socialist and Russian literature. Aufbau Verlag (officially s ...

, Berlin 2004, . * '. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin 2007, .

Drama

* ''Der falsche Prinz'', comedy after the fairy-tale by

Wilhelm Hauff Wilhelm Hauff (29 November 180218 November 1827) was a German poet and novelist. Early life Hauff was born in Stuttgart, the son of August Friedrich Hauff, a secretary in the Württemberg ministry of foreign affairs, and Hedwig Wilhelmine Elsa ...

, 1983Robert Schneider, Werke
Literaturhaus Wien * ''Hitler mein. Eine Liebesrede'', premiere: 1989, Götzis, Alte Krone * ''Dreck. Monolog über die Angst vor dem Fremden'', premiere: 1993,

Thalia Theater (Hamburg) The Thalia Theater is one of the three state-owned theatres in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1843 by Charles Maurice Schwartzenberger and named after the muse Thalia (muse), Thalia. Today, it is home to one of Germany's most famous ensembl ...

* ''Traum und Trauer des jungen H.'', premiere: 1993,

Schauspiel Hannover Hanover Drama () is a theatre company in Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. The company is resident at the Hanover Playhouse () situated approximately east of Hanover Opera House, and the situated approximately west-southw ...

* ''Alte Tage'', comedy, premiere: 1994, Götzis, Am Bach * ''Komödie vom deutschen Heimweh'', premiere: 1999,

Schauspielhaus Zürich The Schauspielhaus Zürich () is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the history of German-speaking theater. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three stages ...

Poetry

* ''Gegengebet''. 1992, , Weitra 1995. * ''acht preisungen''. 2005, , Halle (Saale) 2006.

References

External links

*
Robert Schneider
goodreads.com *
Brother of Sleep / Robert Schneider, Author Overlook Press
publishersweekly.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Robert Austrian male writers 20th-century Austrian novelists 21st-century Austrian novelists 1961 births Living people People from Bregenz