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Durs Grünbein

デュルス・グリュンバイン

Durs Gruenbein

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1962-10-09 （Dresden, East Germany）
Nationality
German
Languages
German
Residence History
Dresden → East Berlin (moved 1985) → Berlin (resident) → Rome (since 2013, residence) → Amsterdam, Paris, London, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York City, St. Louis (sojourns/travel)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Essayist, Translator, Academic (visiting/lecturer)
Active Years
1988-
Affiliations
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung, Academy of Arts, Berlin, Saxon Academy of Arts (Sächsische Akademie der Künste), Dresden, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (chair/visiting), European Graduate School (visiting professor)
Memberships
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung, Academy of Arts, Berlin, Saxon Academy of Arts (Sächsische Akademie der Künste), Pour le Mérite member (Sciences and Arts)
Influenced By
Classical antiquity (Greek and Roman), Modern poets and philosophers (e.g., engagement with Descartes)

Education

University in East Berlin (Theatre Studies)
Theatre Studies
Period: 1985-1989
Country: East Germany
Moved to East Berlin in 1985 to study theatre; exact degree and graduation year not specified.

Awards

Georg Büchner Prize
1995
Organization: Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
Result: 受賞
Peter Huchel Prize
1995
Organization: Peter Huchel Prize organization
Result: 受賞
Friedrich Nietzsche Prize
2004
Organization: Friedrich Nietzsche Prize organization
Result: 受賞
Friedrich Hölderlin Prize
2005
Organization: City of Bad Homburg (awarding body)
Result: 受賞
Berliner Literaturpreis
2006
Organization: Awarding organization (Berlin)
Result: 受賞
Premio Internazionale Pier Paolo Pasolini
2006
Organization: Premio Internazionale Pier Paolo Pasolini organization
Result: 受賞
Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts
2008
Organization: Pour le Mérite (civil class)
Result: 受賞
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Knights Commander)
2009
Organization: Federal Republic of Germany
Result: 受章
Tranströmer Prize
2012
Organization: Awarding body in Västerås, Sweden
Result: 受賞
Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award
2020
Organization: Zbigniew Herbert Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Grauzone morgens

1988 Poetry

One of Grünbein's earliest poetry collections, reflecting experiences in the GDR, personal memory, and historical awareness.

memoryexperience of the GDRpersonal and historical reflection
Translations

Porcelain: Poem on the Downfall of My City

2005 Poem (long narrative)

A personal and historical poem about Dresden and the destruction of the city in the Allied bombing of 1945.

urban destructionmemory and historytrauma
Translations
  • English translation: Porcelain: Poem on the Downfall of My City (translated by Karen Leeder)

Der Komet

2023 Novel

A long-form work weaving family and urban history, depicting the intersection of Dresden's historical memory and personal history.

family historyurban memoryhistory and the individual

Descartes' Devil / The Cartesian Diver (three meditations)

2008 Poetry / meditative essays

Short meditations engaging Cartesian philosophy poetically, exploring intersections of philosophy and poetry.

philosophyepistemologyintersection of poetry and thought
Translations
  • English translation: Descartes' Devil: Three Meditations (translated by Anthea Bell)

Bibliography

  • Grauzone morgens (1988)
  • Schädelbasislektion (1991)
  • Falten und Fallen (1994)
  • Porcelain: Poem on the Downfall of My City (2005)
  • Descartes' Devil: Three Meditations (2008)
  • Der Komet (2023)

Adaptations

  • Die Weiden (libretto; premiere at Wiener Staatsoper, 2018)
  • Berenice (libretto, Munich Biennale, 2004)
  • Die Antilope (libretto, Lucerne Festival, 2014)

Translations by Author

  • Aeschylus (translations of classical texts)
  • Seneca the Younger (translations)
  • Translations/introduction of John Ashbery, Samuel Beckett, Wallace Stevens, etc.

Translations of Works

  • Ashes for Breakfast: Selected Poems (translated by Michael Hofmann)
  • Porcelain: Poem on the Downfall of My City (translated by Karen Leeder)
  • Psyche Running: Selected Poems 2005-2022 (translated by Karen Leeder)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
erudite, essayistic poetic voiceinterweaving history and personal memoryphilosophical and meditative tone
Recurring Motifs
classical antiquity (Greek and Roman)memory and historythe city (especially Dresden)intersection of science and literature

Legacy

One of contemporary Germany's leading poets and essayists. Internationally acclaimed for works that engage history, classical antiquity, and philosophical reflection; widely translated and recipient of numerous awards.

Academic Societies

  • Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
  • Academy of Arts, Berlin
  • Saxon Academy of Arts (Sächsische Akademie der Künste)

Quotes

  • "poet and Cartesian"
    Source: George Steiner (dedication in The Poetry of Thought) (2011)

Trivia

  • Born in Dresden; moved to East Berlin in 1985.
  • Holds a chair in Poetics and Artistic Aesthetics at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.
  • Has written several libretti for operas, including a premiere at the Wiener Staatsoper.
  • His works have been translated into many languages.